


The Disbelief of Reality

by o0JayWolf0o



Category: Undertale, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: ALPHYS X UNDYNE, Alcohol Usage, Alphyne, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Mentions of Suicide, im not good at this tag stuff, mentions of self harm, monster hate groups, reader is female, sans x reader, undertale - Freeform, whatever ill just do it as it comes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-08-30 15:21:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 45,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8538169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o0JayWolf0o/pseuds/o0JayWolf0o
Summary: Summary Updated 12/17/2016, 4:42 AMYou were a single adult living alone in your house. It was Halloween night, you were minding your own business when something.. happened...well, let's just say you weren't expecting video game characters to ask for ketchup at midnight.Time passed, you met them all. Alphys, Papyrus, Undyne, Frisk, Toriel, Asgore, Mettaton, Napstablook, and Sans, even.You grew to accept it, and truly?He helped you escape from the void we all know much too well.He held your weight.. saved you...but how much can he carry, before you snap out of the lies, and begin to relish in the truth..?Status: Complete





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this should be very interesting. *evil smirk*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends  
> have the introduction that i didn't work hard enough on

You tapped your feet to your favorite song, blasting in your earbuds. You were dressing up in your Halloween costume, which happened to be a cosplay of Sans from Undertale. Pulling out the hoodie you'd had for years, you tossed it on. You were a huge tomboy, and actually ended up wearing something lazy every day. You were far too old for trick-or-treating, so you figured you'd just sit at a stand selling little treats while making puns. What was wrong with the spirit in Halloween?

Ever since Undertale had come out and you'd heard of Sans, you'd been fascinated in puns, space, and damn, even got used to the tang of ketchup on your mouth. It wasn't bad, and over time had started to taste really good- like tea, almost. You had multiple jobs, and some included working at a Starbucks or at your own food stands. You couldn't really cook, but you could make some easy treats like rice krispies and popsicles. Sometimes you'd play your guitar on street corners for money, which was surprisingly a good source of cash. 

Breaking from your thoughts, you grabbed your paint and sat down in front of your bathroom mirror. Tying your hair back, you cleaned your face, then pulled up a reference of Sans' face. You coated your features with white paint, your neck as well. Grabbing a smaller brush, you began to paint around your eyes. The paint you were using was safe if it got in your eyes, so you didn't hesitate to brush over them. It left some spots around your inner eye still naked-looking, but you had eyeliner to fix that. You grabbed your contact lenses that changed your eye color to black with a small white pupil. Your whole sclera was black, including some of your iris. You smiled in excitement. After you were done bouncing in exhilaration, you focused and painted the wide grin of Sans' skeletal face.

After the hour of limb painting you did, you cupped your hair into a hair cover, making you look bald. You snapped a photo, checked the time, and slid into some fuzzy slippers to complete the look. You grabbed your liter of hot chocolate, candy bowl, rice krispies pan, and a bottle of ketchup for you. Stepping outside, you retreated to your stand. You had dragged it outside earlier, and now placed the bag of treats down on the ledge of it. The dishes smelled good, and it took a moment of self-lecturing to resist the temptations. 

Your stand was placed on the corner of a park, where many kids were playing. It was perfect, because kids should start coming in and buying things or taking candy. You took the closed sign down, and spread out the deserts along with a candy bowl. The rice krispies were 25 cents each, as was a cup of hot chocolate. Aside from this, you had a mountain of candy in which kids could choose two pieces of their liking- under your watch, of course. You also had some extra treats and drinks under your stand's bar in case you ran out.

Your first kid to come up was dressed as a pirate, roughly 9 years old. Their mom stood back, smiling at you. After he said 'trick-or-treat' and tilted his bag out to you, you laughed and waved your hands. "You can grab two pieces of candy, any you like, kiddo."

Excitement bubbled up from the kid, and he took a M&M's pack and some Smarties. "Thank you.." He squealed, then looked up at you for the first time. He gasped, and his eyes sparkled for a moment. "You look really cool! How did you do that with your eyes and face?"

"Magic." You winked. The kid giggled, then ran off to his mom. "Happy Halloween!" You called after him.

In less than thirty seconds, he came back with about three more kids who were looking up at you with the same starry expression he had. They all seemed to be around his age, and they took some candy too. "I like your costume!" One of the older ones, who was dressed as Donatella from TMNTs said. After you told them thank you and Happy Halloween, the group walked off, talking about you and candy. As you waited for someone to come up, you took a swig of ketchup. You caught a few glances in disgust and disbelief from a few people, and you just waved and laughed it off.

People came and went, some buying your treats, some taking candy, some even giving you a tip or two for your costume. After about two hours in, you spotted two teenagers, probably 15 or 16 years old cosplaying as Papyrus and Mettaton. "Heya!" You said in their direction, a bit loudly to catch their attention. They turned toward you for a moment, and once they recognized your outfit, walked over. 

"Hello, darling~" The one as MTT said, trying to stay in character. 

"I never though a boy would cosplay for Undertale, besides me." The Papyrus one said, obviously not caring about acting like his character.

You shook your head, laughing a bit. "Nah, I'm about as female as it gets. Just got a hair cap on." You said. "You guys got nice outfits." It was true, they had thrown themselves out of the water for their look- but you had spent more time for yours, you noticed.

"Dude, you look 10x better than us." Papyrus said. MTT nodded, her lips curling up.

You smirk. "I don't think so. You guys look so," you raised a cup of hot cocoa, "hot."

They both laughed a little, though annoyed, and scooted aside for some kids to grab some candy. "Well, I'mma go walk around, see if we can spot anymore fans." MTT said, breaking character.

"'kay, seeya." You say, raising the bottle of ketchup. They both pause in disbelief as you gulp some down. 

"Dude, you don't have to drink that just for cosplay reasons." MTT says. You wave your hands dismissively.

"Nah, I just really like the taste of ketchup." You smile. laughing at their confusion.

"Yeah, right. Down the whole thing, then!" Papyrus says, challenge in his voice.

"Whatever you say, O' Great Papyrus." You pop the lid off and drink it all in silence. You see their mouths dropped agape as you lower the bottle down and show them the inside. You wipe your face, thankful it takes soap to get your paint off, and smirk.

"Uhm.. okay then..? Yeah, I'm definitely leaving now. You're weird, but also awesome." They hesitantly turn and leave, chattering about you and glancing back now and again.

Once they're gone, you fall back into your pattern of selling stuff. You sell nearly all of your treats and have about two cups of cocoa and no more rice krispies when a guy walks up. He's cosplayed as Sans like you, but he seems so..  _real._ His eyes are actually big and he shows no appearance of a nose or lips. "heya." He waves lazily. "why do you look like me? i already have fans?" he laughed, confusion clearly in his gaze. Nonetheless, he comments, "looks rad."

Is he..? There's no way he's Sans. You're going insane, surely. You blink. He doesn't move. Your mind swarms. Monsters didn't exist. No, Undertale was a game. This was reality. He probably had some mask on, and all.

"you okay there?" He says, concern layering his voice. His smile twitches. His mouth doesn't even open. 

"H-how.." You realize you're staring. "Sorry your uh, cosplay just looks so real."

He chuckles. "cosplay? whaddya mean?"

"Uh, what?" You laugh nervously, running hands through your hai- uh, over the side of your head.

"you look like you've never seen a monster." He sounds nervous. "i'll leave if ya want, i just wanted some ketchup, since you uh, got some?"

You hadn't been outside for a while, only to go to the store and work.. Nothing was on television, and when you were at your side jobs you hadn't _seen_ monsters.. You considered the thought of Undertale coming to life "No.. there's no way. There's no way I'm seeing you right now." You murmured, thoughts flickering in and out of your mindset.

He rubbed the back of his skeletal head with a very clearly skeletal hand. "uh, you okay there?"

"Is.. is your name Sans?" It blurts out. You cover your mouth in embarrassment. You were so sure it was him, though!

"uh.. yeah? how'd you know my name?" He shakes his head. "look man, im just here for some ketchup, and wondering why you look like me."

"You don't.. know.. about the game.." You trail off. You're still in disbelief. "Hold on." You pull your phone out, and look up photos of 'sans the skeleton.' As the page loads, you say, "There's this game called Undertale, and you're in it? I sound crazy.." The pictures load, but it's just pictures of Dasani water, some memes with comic sans font in them, and skeletons. "What the hell.." you whisper. You check your pictures, but the file named 'Undertale' is gone. "What??"

Sans was eyeing you curiously. "never heard of a game called undertale." He had pulled five gold coins out. 

"Oh, uh." You grabbed another bottle of ketchup and gave him it. "Hold on, lemme show you.." This time, you looked up 'undertale,' but it just showed you kid's stories and pictures of things under other things. "Oh my god.." You whisper in disbelief.

When you look back at him, he's literally sweating, the liquid a bit blue. "I swear.." You just shake your head then. This was probably a prank. "Uh, Happy Halloween?" 

He visibly relaxes at this, and waves you off, sipping from his ketchup bottle. As he walks away, you snap a few photos, just for proof, and then take your set up home.

Today was a crazy day. A dream, you think, as you fall asleep in your bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have i got you hooked yet? or nahh?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this book is so much more popular than the one i deleted?  
> why ;v;  
> note~~ when texting, the * before a text is another person and the - is you. kay? kay.  
> another note~~ the character can be you, but i dont like it when people do '(y/n)' or '____' so ye. i just made the name nora bc yeah. no-ra 'eason to be mad about it. wink. wink wonk.
> 
> also- there's alot of references from 'jack of all trades' in this book and one will be 'temperate' so credit to CapnHanbers for that.

_Mmm whatcha sayyy~_

_Mmm that you only meant well~_

_Well of course you did_

_Mmm what-_

You picked your phone up, groaning. It's your friend, Bayley. You slid the answer card left.

"Hey girl! Did you hear the news?"

"Mm.. what? I just woke up."

"It's like, twelve though." You heard her pout mockingly.

"Are you serious?!" You checked the time, whining as you saw you were late. You planned to play some songs today on the street corner from 11 to 3, but you'd have to change schedule. "Now I'm gonna be late for my job.. thing."

"Oh. Well, I woke you up. So yay. Anyways... did you hear about the monsters?? It's so _cool!_ " She nearly squeals the last word.

You tense. "Bayley.."

"They're everywhere! Like, I knew there were some but there's hundreds!"

"You're kidding right?" You grabbed clothes and were now in the bathroom, starting shower water. You hadn't taken your makeup off last night.

"What do you mean?" She laughed, "Monsters from the war came out of Mt. Ebott! I mean, I thought it was all a joke and stuff, but it's _real_!! It reminds me of a game, but I can't place my finger on it."

You were silent, the only noise coming from your side of the call was the soft patter of water on the shower floor. This probably wasn't reality, yeah, you were probably just dreaming someone's life.

"Uh, Nora??" That was your name. _Your_ name. _Welp, that cancels out my theory._ "Noorrraa?"

"Oh. uh, sorry. Kinda spaced out there for a second. Um, I'm gonna take a shower, talk to ya later?"

"Uh... okay? See ya, guuuuurrrrrrllll-" You cut her off, and placed your phone on your bed. Taking your contacts off, you looked at the mirror for a second. Monsters were real. Undertale was real? No, she was pranking you. Of course she was, she was a fan of Undertale too. She got you into Undertale after all. You shook your head, walking into the shower.

* * *

 

You stepped outside, your guitar hanging from your neck. You had decided not to call Bayley and put your contact lenses back on because they looked cool. You were also wearing a 'I put ketchup on my ketchup' t-shirt with your blue hoodie and some black pants that were really baggy. You skirted the sidewalk, crossed a few streets, and found a curb. You placed down a tub labelled 'TIPS' and a box labelled 'REQUESTS', then started playing Undertale's theme song. Surprisingly, nobody really knew the song and a few people stood around watching. Some pointed to your eyes and whispered about your lenses, and someone finally came up and dropped a dollar in.

About 15 minutes in, you closed your eyes, swaying to the beat of the song. You were playing 'Heartbreak,' also from Undertale, and started to make less mistakes when suddenly you heard a quiet gasp. You opened your eyes, and tensed, playing the song slower unconsciously. There stood a tall goat.. that was like a human- it was _Toriel!_ Some of the people were chattering about her, and you heard a few words like 'Queen' and 'Goat.'

"My child, please do not let my appearance stop you from playing my son-" She pauses. "This song." She smiled.

You realize you hadn't been playing. "Oh.. Um, sorry, just new to this whole monster thing.. heh." So monsters _were_ real. You weren't denying it now, and inside, doubt, confusion, and mostly _joy_ shot through you. Your _favorite_ game's characters just came to life. Toriel, Undyne, Papyrus, Alphys, Mettaton, Asgore, Frisk, Chara, Flowey, _Sans.._ Wait. Chara? Oh well. You'd stress over it later. You cleared your throat and started playing from where you left off. Toriel seemed to hum along with it. You were still in shock from the realization and her appearance, so you kept messing up- but less, it seemed.

Eventually, someone requested a song that you'd played often, so you stopped messing up- as much, anyways. Toriel was still watching with interest. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as her soft gaze watched your fingers move. Some more monsters showed up, like Vulkin and Madjick, all giving you curious stares. When you were almost done, Toriel walked up to the 'Requests' box and wrote in a song, a rather long song, as it took her a while to write it down. When she backed off, you played the last verse of your previous song and fished her request out. You had expected the  _name_ of a song, but instead she had written down a few notes for you to play. 

As you studied them, strumming them quietly, she spoke softly to a few more monsters that bounced up and asked her questions, or just spoke to some or the surrounding humans.

As you started to play the song, you realized this was 'Determination,' and added a few notes to make it more interesting. Every now and again you'd blink and expect the monsters to disappear, but they  _didn't,_ and after an hour of playing requests you just got used to it. When you finished playing 'The Hanging Tree,' Toriel gave you 10 gold coins. You thanked her.

"My child, I am to thank you." She replied, that warm smile still on her face. "I have not heard music in a while." She held out a.. paw? and you shook it. It was big enough to clasp your entire hand, and it was really fuzzy. The moment you made contact with the paw, you realized..

The monsters were real.

Undertale? It was finally  _real._

Your dream had come true. Every year you wished for Undertale to become something true, and it had come  _true._

You froze.

That meant you had seen Sans last night.  _The_ Sans.

"My child?" Toriel's voice awoke you from your thoughts.

"Oh, yes?"

"When do you play?" She had let go of your hand.

"Uh, normally on weekends, right here, and around 11am to 3pm."

She looked up, as if trying to memorize it, and then looked back to you. "Thank you. I will try to arrive here on those times." She simply smiled bigger and padded off. Some of the monsters followed her too. You stared after her, and then continued playing. Boy, oh boy, you were going to have to get used to this whole monster thing.

* * *

You flopped onto your bed, worn out, and started counting your money. Today, you had gotten 16 gold coins from various monsters and $38.53. You added that to your current cash amount, and it turned out you had 21 gold coins, five from yesterday when you met Sans, and $239.26 that you could use this week. Putting your money into your stash and wallet, you pulled up your photos.. and there it still was. Sans, walking away and chugging the ketchup you had bought. You sighed. You could definitely get used to having monsters around. You checked the time too, and saw it was currently 3:16. Your Starbucks shift starts at 6:30 and ends at 11:00 so you had at least three hours beforehand to do whatever. 

You closed the pictures app and opened up Instagram, then searching for 'sans.' You had expected tons of fan accounts to come up, but instead only about three came up. The first, was, of course, just 'sans.' The other two were 'comic.sans.font' and 'skeletonkey_2005' which was probably some movie. You tapped on Sans' page and noticed it had only nine posts. You followed him and then looked over the posts.

The first one was a selfie of him and Papyrus, who was waving enthusiastically, whereas Sans was simply doing a peace sign. You couldn't help but snicker at the caption, which read 'skelebros unleashed'. You liked the photo, and proceeded to scout his other posts. The second on he'd made was of Papyrus kneeling on a green couch with a velvet wall behind. He was holding his hand (?) above his head as if he were looking for something while his cape-scarf flowed behind him. The caption read, 'my cool bro back in the underground'. You liked it too. The rest of the photos were either of Sans and Papyrus, Papyrus, or Sans with some friends, which also had Papyrus in it.

The last post, however, shocked you. It was a photo of Sans, only Sans, and him holding a ketchup bottle. He was posed so that you could see  _your_ stand behind him, typing on the phone. The caption read, "met this girl who looked like me last night. she sold me ketchup too. she kinda knew me i guess? its cool. kinda wanna meet them again. heh.' You hesitated. When had he taken this photo? Straight after he'd walked away, you'd put your stuff away, and while he was walking away you watched him. It was weird. You brushed it off, and checked the time. It was 3:45, so you decided to snoop around some more.

In the end, you had found all of Undertale's main characters, liked all their photos, and saved a few too. Some of them, like Papyrus and Toriel, had followed you back. Toriel because she recognized you and Papyrus because he followed back. You checked your DMs, and saw that you had two messages. Without thinking, you tapped on the first account, which was Toriel. You saw a glimpse of Papyrus as the other person who'd messaged you. 

*Hello, my child. I am Toriel, the goat lady you had seen earlier when you were playing your instrument. I believe it was a guitar, yes? I hope you do not mind me following you, as I just seemed to recognize you from earlier. How are you doing tonight?

It was sent 5 minutes ago, and you replied.

-hey! im doing good. and, i dont mind you following me. also, yeah, it is a guitar. how are you doing?

She replied quickly.

*Oh, I am fine, my child. Out of curiosity, how did you know the song, 'Heartbreak'? I had written it long ago, and nobody seems to know about it.

You hesitated. How were you going to explain? You could just lie, but you knew goat momma would see right through you.

-i heard from a friend from a friend from their parents.

_Nice going, me!_

*Oh, okay.

She seemed to cut the convo off, so you clicked onto Papyrus' messages. Ironically, his username was 'COOLSKELETON35,' but it was also confusing because usernames could only be lowercase. You snickered, thinking,  _wow, he literally broke the fourth wall._

*HELLO HUMAN! I NOTICE YOU HAVE FOLLOWED THE GREAT PAPYRUS! SO I WILL FOLLOW YOU BACK! NYEH HEH HEH!

-tibia honest, i was sternum to think you wouldnt reply

You knew puns threw Papyrus off, so you took the oppurtunity.

*NYEH! HAVE YOU MET MY BROTHER? HE'S RUBBED OFF ON YOU WITH THE PUNS!

-nah, i havnt met him. say, arnt you in the royal guard? you must be really strong.

*OF COURSE I AM! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VERY STRONG, BUT I TEND TO FLOWERS. IT IS A CHANGE, BUT I HAVE ACCUSTOMED TO IT! NYEH HEH HEH!

This was getting fun. You could toy with all the characters, since you knew what they liked!

-have you made any spaghetti for sans yet?

You clicked send, then realized you probably shouldn't have said 'sans'.  _Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit_

*SO YOU HAVE MET SANS! AND, YES, I HAVE MADE PLENTY. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HUMAN?

He was inviting you over? 

-nah, im good.

You knew what his spaghetti was like. Burnt, sparkly, and not really edible at all.

*OKAY HUMAN!

After you waited for another response and gave up, you swapped over to YouTube. As soon as you did this, though, you got another DM, probably from Papyrus. You were surprised as you clicked onto the message and saw it was..  _Sans!?!_

*heya kid. remember me?

-uh, yeah. 'sup?

*nothin'. i see you were stalking my friends' accounts, though. and papyrus' account too. 

-yeah, why?

*i could ask you the same thing

You paused. Welp, this is what puns are for. You recycled some you used on Papyrus.

-well, tibia honest there's a lot of reasons. no reason to be so stern-um about me and stuff

*you're pretty good, but i will not lose this skele-pun war until i have my skele-fun

That seemed to throw him off the subject.

-you'd might as well just give up because if you dont you'll never see the skele-sun

*i wont submit until we're skele-done

-sorry pal, but there can only be skele-one

*we have time to decide its me, after all this has only skele-begun

-getting cocky now huh? well, im afraid ill have to use skele-guns for this

*okay, look, we should just call it a night. ill buy you a skele-bun if you like

You wonder if this is actually him asking you to hang out with him.

-are you sure? i might cranium a lot of weight

He takes a moment to realize that the pun stood for 'gain.'

*don't be skullking on me now, i know you want food

-i know, but what about you? you wouldn't have the stomach for it

*well, i cant go alone, i have no body to go with after all. it would be very bonely.

You actually end up laughing at that one.

-alright, we can go, but just wondering.. would you end up ordering spare ribs?

*hehe, m'kay. you sure you wanna go? it wont offend me, after all nothing gets under my skin

He was actually asking you to eat out with him. You end up actually squealing now.

-okay. you weigh a skele-ton

-just ribbing ;)

-but are you serious about meat-ing up? i can plan times.

*yeah, sure. how about calf-past eight?

-hmm, i work then but i can move my break. i work at starbucks so how about there?

Your stomach is doing flips. You were practically going out on a  _date_ with the guy you've  _adored_ for  _years_. Now that you thought about it, though, it sounded weird. Oh well. You used a reference from a fan-fiction you'd read as soon as he said the next text.

*sounds cool

-cool cool

*woah there, thats too cool

You allowed yourself a victory air pump as he spoke the near exact thing you'd wanted.

-i guess it's temperate then

*guess so. where's this starbucks at?

You send him the address and then tell eachother bye since you need to get ready. It was now 5:45.  _Damn, we've been talking for that long? I guess it makes sense.._ Between nearly every text, he'd taken a moment to see the text and you'd taken a moment to think of appropriate puns. Before you grab your makeup, you send a last text.

-i think you looked p cool in that skelfie you took that i was also in

The phone dings about three more times as you do your makeup. It was really just to hide the scar on your chest that had been there for a time. You never took thought of it but.. it looked strikingly similar to Sans' last injury before he was dusted..

You brush it off and head to your car. You had a date- erm, hang out to go to!

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why so many hits??
> 
> remember - in a text means you and * means the other person mk
> 
> check the tags for the warnings in this chapter
> 
> (please comment any grammatical errors! :3 i dont have time to check for them rn)

You drive to the shop, which was full of people. James, your co-worker, was taking a few orders and waved you in. You walked behind the desk and placed your stuff down in the back room before waiting on Kevin. Once Kevin walked out, who was the guy in before your shift, you start taking and making orders.

Time flies, and you normally make pumpkin spice related things or normal drinks. There was one customer who wanted a very  _very_ specific strawberry mocha, but they ended up tipping you a bunch. James took his break a while back, and as you work, you think about Sans. You check the time, too, and surprisingly, it's 8:15. You think about what to order for Sans, because you don't have ketchup. Besides, you want him to try something. As you make one of the orders, your thoughts drift off to drinks he might enjoy.

A familiar 'ting!' sounds and you look up to see who comes in, and surprisingly, it's Sans. He looks at James and then you, and you wave him over. "Here you go ma'am, that will be $7.34." You say. The woman who ordered the muffins you'd grabbed handed over $8.

"Keep the change." She smiles.

"Hey, James, I'm going on break. 's that fine?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." He says, concentrated. You flip a sign over that says 'Next register' and walk out, meeting Sans at one of the quieter booths.

"heya. nora, right?" He shifts. He was nervous, but he hid it well. Over your years of playing Undertale, you'd known that he was trying to keep it..  _temperate._ You smile at the joke.You knew almost every expression he could make. Sorta. Kinda.

"Yep. And I already know you're Sans." You sit down across from him. "What'cha wanna order? Besides ketchup, I mean I know you probably want some but you should try something else." 

His gaze flickers to confusion as you realize he's never told you how much he liked ketchup. "uh, never been here. what's good?"

While you were working, you'd decided on a dark chocolate cappuccino just in case he asked. "Hmm, I have a drink in mind."

"how much is it?" He asks, fishing his pocket out.

"Oh, don't worry about paying, I have money. Plus, I get a free drink for my breaks." Quietly, you add, "Besides, you need money for Papyrus' car." 

He looks at you in confusion again, but he eases into a relaxed expression quickly.  _Shit, he wasn't supposed to hear that._ "uh.. okay."

"One sec." You say, hiding your nervousness and walking behind the bar.

"Done with your date already I see? That was fast." James laughs while making a drink.

"Okay, one, it's not a date and two; I'm just getting drinks."

"Whatever." James gives the drink to some teenager.

You make two dark chocolate cappuccinos and place some money in the register, then pad back over to Sans. He was tapping the table in thought, a frustrated glint showing in his expression. You slide the drink over. "So, Sans." You have to ask something, but what? You know  _everything_ about Sans. Oh well. "You into music?" You knew the answer.

"yeah, i guess. i play the trombone, but i haven't really touched it in a while, you know? just gets boring." He explained.

"I play the guitar. It's kinda boring, I admit, but I take requests for money. Really it's the only reason." You lied a bit. Honestly, you did find the guitar fun to play, but you never had time to play unless you were out on the street curb.

Sans was took a sip of the drink. "this is tasty." He commented, his eye lights brightening.

You took a sip too. "Mmm. It is. I thought you'd like dark chocolate."

"why's that?" He had shoved his hands in his pockets and you noticed the drink was halfway gone. You knew he could drink and eat without anyone seeing but witnessing it was different.

You weren't really one to want to admit that you'd read countless fan fictions on how his 'kisses' tasted. It made butterflies squirm in your stomach just thinking about it. "Just always thought monsters with cyan... uh, I mean, sorry, tried to make a pun there..."  _Fuck._ You just messed up. How were you supposed to know he had cyan magic? You want to face palm, but end up sighing instead. "Just thought so. I heard someone say about how skeletons and dark chocolate mix? Always stuck with me." His smile twitches. You both knew you were lying, but he saw you didn't wanna talk about it and moved on.

"have you met my brother?" 

"I don't think so, but we did DM each other. He's really cool." You said semi-honestly. Technically you have met him, over 200 times probably. "I wish I was like him. Having a brother who.. cared about me as much as you do Papyrus." You mumbled the last bit. It was true. You'd always wanted someone who'd go out of their way for your safety. You were always in Sans' shoes, taking care of your own siblings. Memories started cramming them into your mind and you quickly shook them off.  _Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about.. It isn't your fault Nora! It's their fault, not yours!_ "Hnnnn.."

"woah, are you okay?" Sans' face was layered in concern.  _He probably thinks I'm some weird stalker now. Jesus, I just can't keep his secrets to myself, huh?_

"Uh.. Yeah. Sorry." You shook the thoughts away again. Your voice is somewhat soft, like remembering a dream, and you think about the date 'you' had with Papyrus. "Papyrus is something special, isn't he? I mean, he never gives up. He's always motivated, and gives off such positive vibe. Being in his shoes.. would be a dream, even if he didn't make many friends. I can tell by his Instagram profile alone, that he will always try to find a way to be positive, even if it.." You pause, and lower your voice more. You don't want to finish what you say, but you can't just stop talking right then and there. "..kills him." You both tense up at the words, but Sans loosens up quickly. You can see a trace of grief in his eye lights. "Anyways, space! Are you into it? I am. It's quite  _out of this world_ if you ask me." You quickly avert the subject and both end up laughing and making some puns.

The rest of the time of your break is spent talking about space science and stuff. You try to ask questions as if you don't know the answer, and it seems to work.

"hey uh.." He says, seeming a bit nervous. "pap wanted me to ask ya if ya wanted to come eat dinner at his place tomorrow." He shifted a bit.

Your eyes brighten. "Yeah, sure. I'm free tomorrow. Where do you live?"

"uh.. well, for now, cheap and small house. i can text it to ya." He looks up, eye lights a bit brighter.

"Oh yeah, sure." You trade phones and punch in numbers. As you glance at his phone, you see it's 6:45. "Woah. That was fast."

Sans cocks an invisible eyebrow. "what?"

"My break. It's over." You trade phones, and see he's already named himself 'woah buddy waddup.' But that's okay, because you named him 'i skele-won the war.' You both snicker at the names. 

"welp, seeya." He says, getting up. "oh, and here's the address. ill talk to you about times tomorrow." You get a text from him. 

"'Kay, bye." He walks off into the bathroom, to use a shortcut you know, and doesn't come back. 

"Wow. You're dating a monster?" James asks, teasing, as you return to your work position.

"We're just hanging out, and if you have a problem with my being friends with him there's nothing you can do about it." You finish your shift and walk home, since it seems nice. Of course, it was dark, and you're tired, but what damage will it do? You don't feel like driving home, anyways, and the walk is only about 15 minutes.

Once your legs are tired, which was only after like 8 minutes, you walk into a library. The person who greets you is a monster, which is surprising because who finds and gets a job in less that a week? It's the librarian from Undertale, and he just waves at you, intent on checking someone's book out. Almost on instinct, you walk over to the astronomy and space section. You loved checking books out here. You walk into the first aisle, then remember that's mainly for kids and walk out. Skirting the edge, you find yourself in the fifth aisle, which talked about the moon landings and mars. You haven't really read much about mars but you knew a ton about the moon, so you grab three books related to mars. You start heading to the counter, but then walk towards the computers instead. You wanted to do a bit of research on mars beforehand, just to go over some basic facts.

You didn't notice that you were now completely not thinking of Sans.

You sit down, searching up a few things like 'what is mars made of', 'how old is mars', 'what is the mass of mars', and other questions as you jot them down on paper. You then close the tabs and sign out. You open up the first book you have on mars, and start walking toward where the desk would be. You're reading and walking, but you didn't acknowledge that is was dangerous nor care until you ran into someone. 

"Oh, uh, sorr.. ree?" You glance up. You're looking at Sans, who was stumbling back a bit. He tripped on his shoes as he took a step back, and you swear you could hear him hiss in panic as he falls. You drop your books and grab his waist, just in time too, as he almost hits the floor. You expected to feel his spine since he was a skeleton, but you could feel buzzing and a bit of resistance instead. It was probably his magic. You hoist him back up. "Uh, you okay?" You can feel your cheeks burning at the 'rescue.' 

"i could ask you the same." He's looking at your cheeks in amusement and awkwardness.

In the hesitation that it takes for you to reply, you come up with a pun. "Yeah, I'm fine, just didn't know you're already falling for me." You worded it so horribly, and you feel the heat in your cheeks grow. It was so bad. You notice he blushes the tiniest bit, and you're probably the only one who would notice it.

"heheh, good one kiddo." His eyes flicker to the books you both drop. "i got it," he says as you lean down to pick one of his. The books he had chosen were all about stars and the Milky Way. He also had a single car magazine. He uses his magic to float yours over and he seems mildly surprised at the books you chose. "mars, huh?" He mumbles, handing them over. "heard about that one." He picks up his books and shoves his free hand back into his pocket. "welp. see ya tomorrow." His expression returns to his usual empty smile and he walks over to the aisle that you were just in. You see him picking out a mars book as you check out your own. 

"Have a good day!" The librarian croaks. She looks related to Alphys. 

"You too." You walk out as a lion monster in a dress walks up. You remember him as a fan of Mettaton. 

You decide you're going to need your car, and walk back to Starbucks. How could you have been so stupid? You had dinner with the skelebros later on. "GG me." You sigh.

* * *

As soon as you get home, you fish out a ketchup packet and slurp. "Mm."

You stumble into your kitchen, which is right next to your bedroom. Your house is unusually small, but you didn't mind. As you start opening the fridge for food, you're reminded you have basically none. You might as well eat out.

You stumble outside with your blue coat on. About 5 minutes of a walk away there was a bar you could go to. You ditch your car and start walking down past the park. You live on the edge of the urban city parts, and there's tons of little pubs and stores around so you pass by a bunch of them. 

You near the bar you're headed for when you hear some commotion down the block. You turn, abandoning your original route, and head towards the sound. You can hear construction work being done, and you wonder what they're building. The layout seems familiar, you notice, as you pass the road's traffic cones. You stare at it for a moment, before snapping a photo. Maybe you could find out what it was tomorrow, you decide, and start walking back to the bar.

The trek there is silent, leaving you with your thoughts. You pull your hood over your head as if it will help shield them away, but it doesn't.  _It was all your fault!_ You hear them cry in your head.  _Nora, help! Nora! Save us.._ One voice strikes you.  _You promised you'd never let us go, Nora.._  You push the doors of 'Top it Off~!' open, deciding you needed something to loosen up. Some people greet you, waving or saying, "Hey Nora," since you were a regular.

**Hello Nora. Usual?** The bartender, Levi, signs. He was selectively disabled and only talked when over the phone.

"Nah. Give me somethin' strong." You sigh, resting your head on arms at the front counter.

He cocks a brow.  **Are you sure?**

You nod, and he walks to the back room. He returns with a mug and bottle of special whiskey that you've never seen. He pours half a glass, but you insist on a whole, and he does just that. You sigh, downing the liquids inside. They were _really_ strong, but you didn't mind. You buy another glass, and another, until the world seems to distort under your gaze. 

You scrunch your brows in thought. He takes another customer's order and you stare at the drinks in the back. You take a sip of your whiskey, then slam it down, burying your face in your arms. "I didn't mean to. I swear. It's not my fault." You whisper as those voices return. Seeing the glasses in the back was a trigger for this feeling. It reminded you of the night..  _they_ were taken. You can hear their screams and pleas, and as Levi walks back in with a glass, you raise your head. He walks up to you, face coated in worry. As he towers over you, his face seems to change into a familiar man's and he seems to raise the glass up to smash it on you. "N-No!" You back up, tipping the stool. You crashed to the floor, wincing at the pain in your back.

"Nora!" You hear Levi speak for once, but as soon as he rushes to your side you see the man again. He grabs your arms, tugging you up. 

"Let go! Help!" You scream. The bar's members are looking at you in confusion and concern. People are shouting. People are rushing over. You're being surrounded. "Don't hurt him! I'm sorry!" You sob, curling into a ball on the floor. "It wasn't my fault!" You feel a tap on your shoulder, but it doesn't register. You hear the door open. You smell smoke, and hear crackling. That's it. You were going to die. The bar was on fire, wasn't it?

You hear a few panicked screams. You open your eyes and lift your head. The people were gone, backed up, and a fire monster rushed over to your side, kneeling. He looked nice. He was signing something.

**Are you okay? Can you understand?**

"No and yes." You shiver, though warm at his prescence. Your voice is rough from the screaming. The monster extends an arm, and you hesitate. "Will it burn?"

**No.**  You grab his hand(?) and he lifts you up cautiously. You sway from the drinks. You back and head throbs in pain. 

"Ughh.." You step forward, but trip on your laces. The fire monster is quick to grab your waist. You feel a wave of Déjà vu crash over you as he hoists you up and leads you to a quieter booth. The pub is still shocked from your scene and the monster's appearance. As he sets you down, you realize this is Grillby. "Grillbz?" You whisper.

He pauses for a moment, a little shocked.  **How do you know my nickname?**

You start talking about how you saw him in Undertale, and then realize Undertale's pretty much erased and you're the only one who remembers. "Oops. Sorry, that was a lie. I don't remember." You attempt to lie, but you can't come up with a good lie. You thought it was pretty good, but of course you're too tipsy to realize. 

**Lay down. I am going to heal you.** He signs after a while.

"Okay." You say, laying down. Something cushions your head, and you feel a comfortable heat wrap around you as Grillby summons his healing magic. The feeling of warmth and comfort overpower your pounding head and aching back as you drowse off into slumber.

* * *

You feel someone nudging you. You can feel warmth throughout your body and your back had stopped hurting. Your head still hurt a bit but nowhere near as bad as it should, counting the drinks you had consumed. "Five more minutes." You groaned. Your body felt like it had run a marathon. You could hear someone in the bar laughing.  _Bar? wait, where am I?_  Your eyes blinked open. "Wha.. Grillby?" The events from earlier came rushing back. It was light outside. They had let you sleep? You sat up. "Oh god. Please don't tell me I told you about that thing." Grillby was on the other side of the booth. He nodded, then signed.

**You told me about some kinda of game. I believe it was called 'over tail?'** You laughed.

"No, no, it's called.. uh, nevermind. Just, pretend I didn't say any of that. Um. Yeah. How long was I out?" The throbbing in your head was almost gone now.

**All night. It's currently 9 o' clock.** He signed, holding a black iPad up. You took note that it used to be white but had burned from the host's hands.

"Oh." You said. "Um. I think I'm gonna go home." You said, starting to stand up, when Grillby gestured to sit down.

**Hold on, I need to give you a glass of something.** He stood and walked up to Levi, who had opened the shop again recently, and after a moment let Grillby walk to the back room. You opened your phone. You had 8 messages. Five were from Bayley and 3 were from Sans.

*Hey you out of the shower yet?

It was sent yesterday.  _Oops._

*Hello? You okay?

_2 missed calls_

*You're making me worry Nora

*Call me when you can

*Are you okay?

They were all sent at different times. You texted back.

-sorry, i left my phone at home and passed out at top it off. yknow, the bar

-i cant call u right now tho. ill ttyl

You checked 'woah buddy waddup,' but changed his name to 'snas' after a moments worth of deciding.

*heya

*u awake?

*guess not

Oh god. You replied quickly.

-sorry i kind of passed out at a bar

-maybe

His response comes as Grillby walks out of the back room, towards you.

*u ok? sounds like u had 2 many drinks

-nah, i'm fine. grillby healed me, and he's giving me some drinks

*wow. u know all the monsters dont u?

-you could say that

*i can cancel dinner plans if ur not feelin up 2 it

-nah, i can make it fine

Grillby sits down again, sliding a drink over. It's pure white with a cyan glint to it. The edges of the drink seem to fade into a pastel yellow no mater what angle you see it from. You take a precarious sip, and you feel the magic seep through you. "Woah. What's  _in_ this?" You say, slurping some more.

**Mostly magic, and samples of determination and patience since that is what your soul responds to.** You cough on your drink.

"You looked at my soul?" You feel anger welling up but also confusion. 

**No, but when you heal a person you can feel what their soul longs for. The personality type they won't refrain to, basically.** He signs.

"Oh.." You trail off, and finish your drink. By the time you're done, your headache and back pain are gone compeletely. "Thanks Grillby." You smile. The dirnk had also filled you up, and you were no longer hungry. 

Grillby nodded, then walked up to Levi as you stepped outside. You stretched, feeling your bones snap into place. You sigh in relief at the tension's release and pop in your earbuds, to search through your music. You stopped. There was all of your songs. All of them. Even the ones that were Undertale related. You had recorded them all so you could listen to them offline, but you thought they'd disappear. You checked your photos, and there was the 'Undertale' folder again. _What the hell!?_ You gasped. You searched 'Undertale' online, but none of the photos or videos were there. Of course they weren't in Spotify or iTunes, but you had  ** _proof_**! You smiled, your half lidded gaze trailing to the video "[Understrum.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM-NCBZMZms&t=8s)" You tapped it and set it to repeat, the walk home feeling lighter than usual.

The construction workers had swapped out, and now they were adding the walls to the place. Strangely, they were not adding any electrical wires, only a single outlet in the back.

You snapped another photo and walked back home. You were about to have dinner with your practical  _idols._ You wore an enthusiastic smile all the way home, thinking about how much you've waited for this. Happiness spread through you as you reached home, and started talking to Sans.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when did i get 200 hits *scream*  
> also sorry i didn't get this chapter out yesterday. i had the chapter halfway done and then accidentally close the tab. :T... i had a lot of puns in it too. i lost motivation then so just threw this together after an hour.

-knock knock

*who's there?

-dishes

*dishes who

-dishes a very bad joke

*heheh. kiddo, that was supposed to be my line

-ik but you didn't take action

-youre so slow snas

*snas?

-yep

-thats your nickname

You and Sans had decided that you'd come to his place at 9pm since he had work. His house wasn't that far away, you observed, it would only take 30 minutes to walk on foot and 5 minutes in your car. You were currently sitting waiting in line at a gas station, buying two bottles of ketchup for you and Sans and a vanilla shake for Papyrus.

*okok

*knock knock

-whos there

*old lady

-old lady who

*you never told me you could yodel

-wowow

*yeyeet

*you almost here? paps is almost done with the nudes

*shit i mean noods as in noodles

*omg

-wow sans i didnt know you were into that kind of stuff

*i guess i am

*;)

-omfg

You walk up to the counter, placing your drinks down. The person behind the counter looks at you with wide eyes when they notice your contact lenses, and are quick to give you the items and get the money. You walked back to the car and placed the drinks in your cup holders.

-ok im gonna start driving now ill see ya in 3

*3?

-i may have stopped at a store

You backed up out of the parking lot and turned right. "Turn right in 500 meters." You turned right. "Turn left in 50 meters." You were driving on a slight incline and turned again to a hilly-like neighborhood. "Turn left in 125 meters to reach your destination." You drove forward, searching for the house. You let go of the pressure on the gas pedal, driving a tad bit slower as you saw it. "Turn left in 10 meters to-" You shut the phone off, turning into a driveway. The house was lit up by Christmas lights, so you easily knew who's it was. There was a wreath on the door and a pirate flag tied to the tip of the house, probably where the attic was. You pulled the keys out of your car and stepped out. 

-im here c;

*k

You clicked your phone off and grabbed the drinks, then made your way to the door. You attempted to knock, but ended up just kicking the door three times since your hands were full. Before they opened, you shoved the two ketchup bottles in your pockets. You wanted to surprise Sans.

The door swung open and you looked upwards. There stood Papyrus, a cheery grin on his face. "HELLO HUMAN!" His voice boomed. He was wearing the 'Kiss the Cook' apron covering in splattered tomato sauce. You decided not to comment on it, aware of Sans' wary grin from the couch.

"Hey Papyrus! I got you this drink." You held your hand out, and Papyrus gently took it from you. 

"WOWIE! THIS DRINK TASTES MAGNIFICENT! HUMAN, WHAT DO YOU CALL IT?" 

"Well, it's like when you mix a cow and a trampoline." You saw Sans coughing on a ketchup packet he was drinking. 

"HMM. WHAT IS IT?"

"A  _milkshake!_ " You and Sans erupted in laughter while Papyrus made a noise like he was about to say something, but didn't finish. He made an annoyed face but welcomed you in like nothing had happened. He shut the door as you sat down on the couch. Unlike their old home, when you walked in, you were at the left of the living room and couch was facing towards the wall where the TV was. Walking forward brought you to a door on the left which was the kitchen, and walking forward more was the stairs. You could see the bone painting in the center of the hallway and Papyrus' room on the right instead of the left. The bathroom was on the left wall of the hallway, beside Sans' room.

"I WILL GET YOUR PLATES!" Papyrus strided into the kitchen, which also had a dining room in it you could see. You could smell burnt meat.

"hey nora."

"Hi Snas." You looked over to him.

He chuckled, his baritone voice making you relax. "what is it with that nick?"

"Well, I made a typo a while ago and now that's what your name is."

"well, there's nora 'eason to name me that." He winked, his smile tilting upwards as you snorted.

"Oh, I almost forgot." You reached into your pockets, pulling out two ketchup bottles. "Here." You handed one over.

"how'd you.."

"Remember how we met?"

"oh, yeah. you saving the other for someone else, or..?"

Your smile stretched a bit. "Nope, this is all for me."

You heard plates cluttering in the kitchen.

"seriously?"

"Seriously." You took a swig of ketchup. 

"oh. nice. never met anyone who liked ketchup besides me. or uh, puns. well, maybe one person." His eye lights grew fuzzy for a second, as if out of focus, and then he turned his head to the kitchen as more clattering sounded. 

"NYEH! DINNER IS READY!" Papyrus called.

"'kay." You and Sans said in unison. You both walked over to the kitchen. Papyrus took the end seat and Sans took the one opposite, so you sat on the side of the table. You glanced at the spaghetti then at Sans, but he just shrugged. Papyrus was already eating. The spaghetti noodles were burnt and crisp, obviously not having been boiled. The 'sauce' was mixture of smashed tomatoes and a single banana. The meat was beyond edible, burnt to a darker brown. On top of it all, there were bits of plastic and cardboard along with 'edible' sequins and glitter, as quoted by Papyrus.

You took another glance at Sans and he pointed down at your food, winking. You looked at it and were surprised to find that a large portion was gone, probably in the garbage now. You silently thanks Sans and took a bite of the.. food..?

Your face nearly twisted in regret, but you stopped it form doing do. Your body shivered. It was  _horrible._ You downed it, and your stomach almost convulsed, but your plea to not do so was taken.

"W-wow Papyrus! This is really good!" You said. Sans made no comment, but he had 'eaten' most of his spaghetti.

"OF COURSE IT IS! SANS HELPED ME WITH THIS TOO!"

"nah bro, you totally did this by yourself. it tastes great." He held a lazy thumbs up up and winked. 

You finished the spaghetti, but not without dousing it in ketchup. Papyrus only commented on how you were just like Sans. It was still bad, but you could eat it easier. Sans was cheating, you could tell, because he had not manifested his blue tongue- you guessed, anyways. Maybe he wasn't even eating it though. You glared at him briefly in amusement, but all that was returned was a confused look.  _Right, Sans doesn't know I have every secret he knows. Good job me!_  When you were done, you used the bathroom for 10 minutes straight, which made Papyrus worried because you were gone for so long. You just told him it was a human thing to avoid breaking his smiling heart with the truth about his spaghetti.

Sans had turned on the TV for Papyrus and was watching the MTT special. You plopped down on the couch next to Sans since that was the only space left, and watched the show. You weren't really a fan of Mettaton, so you found him all-in-all annoying alike Sans. It was great seeing Papyrus so excited, though, so you stayed.

* * *

 For the matter, nobody seemed to want you gone. Sans just didn't care, Papyrus enjoyed your company, and you just didn't want to leave.

"AND THAT IS HOW I MET UNDYNE!" You had heard this story before many times, but you pretended like you hadn't.

"you sure they remember all that paps? it was a  _bass_ amount of information." Sans' eyes were closed. He looked tired.

""I'm sure he just wanted to speak about his  _gill_ friend, Sans!" You say casually, as to not betray any excitement. 

"i dunno, there is truly an in _fin_ ite amount of possibilities here."

"Well, if you have another, let  _minnow._ "

Sans opened his eyes. He looked tired, but you could see the slightest trace of excitement building inside him. You felt the same. " _carp_ , i guess i don't have any."

"Well, I  _hake_ to break it to you, but I think I won this matter."

"hm. you remind me of  _salmon_ else right about now." He winked lazily. You felt giddy, but forced it down. You would not lose!

"I'm _sardine_ to think that's a lie." You search Sans' face. His eyelights were fuzzy, and every time you made a joke they'd get brighter.

"I AM GOING TO _KRILL_ YOU IF YOU DON'T STOP WITH THE PUNS!" Papyrus shouted from his room.

"oh my _cod,_ nora, run!" Sans started laughing as he stood up, but this only caused him to fall over, which made you start laughing too. Sans was rolling on the floor, hunched over and eyes sealed shut. You'd never seen him so genuinely happy. Meanwhile, you were slammed into the back of the couch dying because of Sans and Papyrus' confused face. You looked at Sans again, but that was a mistake, because you almost screamed with laughter. You wanted to record this moment so bad.

"S-Sans!" You laughed between words. "You're causing a- a _haddock!_ " That was it. Tears rolled down your face, your stomach hurt from laughing, this was a good day. By this point, you were wheezing and opened your eyes. Sans was up and wiping under his eyes, still chuckling. You took a moment to break.

"oh man."

"Hoo boy." Sans plopped onto the couch, causing you to bounce a bit. You wiped your tears, and looked over to him.

"that was.. i've never laughed that hard. well, maybe besides the time i showed papyrus 'updog.'" His eye lights looked expectant. You knew the joke, but wanted to make him laugh like that again.

"Updog?" You say, erasing your smile and furrowing your brow. Sans instantly sat up straighter.

"yep. updog. it's great." He closed his eyes, relaxing into the couch once more.

 _Time to embarass myself_! "What is updog?" Papyrus made a 'pffffft' sound, while Sans wheezed once.

"nothin', how's your day been?" He asked, starting to laugh.  _Oh, he worded that perfectly._

"Well Sans I haven't asked it!" Sans paused, trying to find the joke, but oh boy when he found it.

He started wheezing with so much force you thought he'd cough up organs, but then remembered he's a skeleton.

You join in the laughing. _God, Sans looks so adorable when he was overjoyed!_ You paused. _Don't think those thoughts here, jesus Nora what are you doing?_

Papyrus was slamming his hand on the railing, hunched over. His body moved several times, and it took you a while to process that he was laughing at the preposterous was you'd done the joke.

You kept these joked on for another hour or so, before settling on the couch. You checked the time. It was 11:43! "Ughh."

Sans raised a brow- or would, if he had some. "wha'sup?"

"I really don't wanna drive home this late. Can I crash on your couch or something?" You looked over to Sans expectantly. 

"uh, sure, i guess." He yawned.. somehow. "i'm gonna go catch some z's." He started walking up the stairs, but paused. "you need a blanket or something?"

"It would be nice but if you've only got one I'm fine." You say, putting your shoes beside the couch.

He returned a moment later with a white blanket that had a few stains. "eh, sorry it's dirty but here."

"I don't mind it." You say. "And thanks." He just nods and goes upstairs, then to his room.

"if ya need somethin', call."

Welp. You were staying over at their house. Might as well make the best of it. You snuggled up in the blanket, which was slightly blue and very warm- to the touch, even. You didn't question it, and fell asleep before your mind realized- _Sans had used his magic to warm you up!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okok sorry for the rather short chapter im in a rush to get this out ;v; i had that pun scene so perfectly worded and then bam i closed the tab D: anyways.. hope you liek


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly i didn't know how to plan this out. oops.  
> also, really sorry for the dely in chapters but this MIGHT be going on short hiatus because of the holidays, and im going somewhere where they might not have a computer? so yeah. sorry maybe. enjoy anyways

Warmth. You felt warmth. You rolled over, grasping for your phone, and fell to the floor. 

You heard a deep voice. "careful- pfft- kid." It sounded like Sans. You knew Undertale _wasn't_ real though.

Your eyes blinked open, a skeleton looming over you. "comfy?"

You nodded, raising the blankets over you.  _Wait, that's a skeleton..?!_ You threw the covers off. You weren't in your home, you were in..  _the skelebros house?!_ Memories registered to your mind, and you mentally slapped yourself for freaking out.

"uh, you ok there kiddo?" Sans looked flustered at your outbreak.

"Um, yeah, just forgot where I was. What time is it?" You yawned.

"5 'till ten."

"Oh. Shit. I should head home, I have work at 6:30." Sans' grin wavered a bit. 

"i guess. you've got time, though. paps made pancakes, 'cause he thinks humans need other stuff to digest. only if you wanna stay and eat. i mean you don't have to, he just made them for you." Now that Sans had commented on it, you could smell the syrup.. 

"NYEH! IS THE HUMAN AWAKE YET, SANS?" Papyrus' head popped out of the kitchen again. 

"I'm here Papyrus." You yawned again, rubbing your eyes of sleep. "Late breakfast? And uh, yeah, I'll stay for a bit." 

Sans nodded, you could see an almost relieved look on his face. You stood up, throwing the blanket back on the couch. 

"Smells good." you teetered to the kitchen, swaying slightly from your drowsiness. "Uh, say, do you guys have any coffee?" Papyrus immediately looked confused, Sans didn't react much though.

"WHAT IS COFFEE?" Papyrus sets down plates and everyone takes their seats.

Before you get a chance to respond, Sans explains. "it's that unnatural way of waking up, and its unhealthy and all." He glances towards you, eyes telling to play along.

"OH. WELL, NO, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY 'COFFEE.'" Papyrus digs into his food.

"uh, i can buy some for you if ya want." Sans shrugs, expression unchanged.

You're a bit shocked. "Sans, you sure? I can give you some cash-"

"nora, as my house guest, i am honored to buy you a drink." He winked for a moments too long.

"Well, by the time you get back here I'd have woken up." You know Sans could teleport, but why raise suspicion and attention on yourself?

"im sure that when you're 'space efficient' like i am, you don't take long. how do you take yours?" He stands up, waking towards the kitchen door before pausing. 

You accept that Sans won't let you refuse his offer. "4 teaspoons creamer, any creamer is fine honestly, and 2 teaspoons sugar." He nods and walks out. 

Scenting the syrup on your pancakes again, you tuck in and make small talk with Papyrus. You get through half of a pancake before Sans appears again, noting he has Starbucks.

"here." He passed the drink over. He then sat down and eating his pancakes. He also had a drink, and you flushed a pastel pink as you noticed the word "Snas" written over it. It looked like Kevin's handwriting, and Sans hid the name as he saw you staring. You missed the blue that dusted across his face briefly.

You take a sip of the still warm drink, and you realize it's flavored peppermint. "Mmm. I love peppermint." You say, looking over at him. 

"oh?" His smile grew to a smirk. "i  _mint_ to tell you before."

"Puns, now? Well, two  _cane_ play it that game!" Papyrus groaned, walking out of the kitchen- not before he rinsed his plate, though.

"sorry paps, didn't mean to  _pepper_ you about it." Papyrus stomped up the stairs and shut his door a bit loudly.

"Hey uh, if you need money I'm serious, I can give you some. Starbucks is expensive. I have like, 2 jobs anyways." You had stopped making treats to sell outside because it wasn't fun anymore- you had enough money anyways.

Sans gaze shifted slightly. "it's cool."

You sigh. "Don't turn me down if you need it. I can tell you work a lot, the rings under your eyes prove it." You smile sympathetically at him, grasping for your wallet. 

"i..." He trailed off as you placed a 20 in front of him. "you sure?" You nod, and he, hesitantly, grabs the cash. "thanks. i don't know why you're being so nice to me and paps. heh, you're just like the kiddo.." Funny. He hadn't mentioned Frisk before this. 

"It's not a problem." You say, getting up to place your dish in the sink. "I'm gonna head home now." You grab your coffee. The name "nora" had been lazily scribbled onto it. Funny, it didn't look like any of the staff's handwriting. You wonder if they got a new employee. You did a little salute, giggling softly as you did so. Sans returned the gesture as you skipped outside, to your car.

* * *

As you lay down in your bed, your thoughts seemed to catch up to you. The past three (four? maybe five..?) days had been insane. You'd met Toriel, Sans, a few of the casual canon monsters, Papyrus, you'd seen Mettaton and Alphys on TV as well as Asgore on the news, and stalked the pages or every main Undertale character. It was quite the weird experience.

You thought some more about each monster until you got to Sans. What was there to think about? You knew him entirely.

...almost.

You didn't know if he liked Gaster or not, if he remembered every reset, remembered them clearly, remembered after true resets...

Oh god.

How many times have you lived the same life over and over?

How many times have they gotten to the surface, only to have it all pulled away from them?

..

_How many times has Sans met you?_

Your stomach flipped. How many times have you watched your family be taken away from you? How many times have you  _died?_

Oh god. Oh god, oh god oh god oh  _god-_  

Your phone buzzed. You quickly picked it up, relieved from the distraction. You had three notifications. Apparently, while you were sinking into the darkness, Papyrus and Sans had texted you, Sans being the most recent. The other was a YouTube update, which you slid away. 

You tapped onto the Instagram notification and was greeted with an enthusiastic message from Papyrus.

*HELLO HUMAN! I HAD A GREAT DAY YESTERDAY AND WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT!  
*ALSO, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE DECIDED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT AS FRIENDS, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO COME OVER ANY TIME YOU LIKE!  
*THAT IS ALL. HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON!

Those were sent around 5pm, you realize, feeling guilty. You decide not to text back, since it's 2am.

You tap onto your text messages, this time it being Sans. It was sent 2 minutes ago.

*u awake?

You reply.

-yeah 

*o

He doesn't reply. You guessed he just wanted someone to socialize with- you were feeling the same- and he didn't know what to say.

*soo  
*puns?

-i guess.  
-also i need to ketchup with mine a bit

*oh?  
*i have so many, they could cover my cells from my head tomatoes

-i doubt it

*really now?

-well, yeah, and i don't wanna hear them unless their humerus

*don't be sternum with me

-ok, mom

You find yourself laughing at your retort.

*thats my line

-what kind of line? fishing line? i can tell you about some fish puns

*we did that yesterday though

-im shore we can make some new ones up

*i'll sea about that

-don't cause any comm-ocean while you do

*i guess, although i'd like to krill you to prove my point

-i might need some kelp then|  
-especially if you're the only other person

*weed be alone bc no commocean right?  
*;)

-this is getting out of sand

You can't help pausing as you hear a few texts. You're laughing really hard at your fluent pun conversation. You glance at your phone after catching your breath.

*indeed. we need to clam down  
*anyways water you doing?  
*did you fall asleep on me

-no  
-but to answer your question im laying in bed and, before you came by, attempting to grab some sleep

*oh  
*sorry so bother you

-nah, it's fine i couldnt really get any anyways

*funny, bc u were p much dead on our couch this morning

You blush furiously, thankful for the lack of his presence. 

-i enjoyed staying at your house

You hit send, and then rush to delete the message. He notices.

*embarassed?

-uh, kinda? that sounded weird??

You facepalm.  _Nora, you're so good with conversation starters!_ Sans doesn't respond for a moment.

*hey um  
*thanks for the money.  
*really. it helped a lot.

-yw  
-it really wasnt for any cost at all

You intended for that to be a pun, but Sans doesn't really see it.

*anyways uh  
*y'know how you play guitar?  
*i do too  
*and um.  
*actually nevermind its stupid

-noo tell meee ;^;

*ok fine  
*i was gonna ask if you wanna play a duet?  
*it sounds dumb but life has kinda been going fast for the past few days and i wanna do something simple y'know? its ok if you say no and stuff i understand

You wait a minute before replying, to see if he's gonna type.

-sure, what song?

*um, i didn't think about that

-its k. when do you have freetime? 

*im off friday

You had work tomorrow and Thursday, and your boss let you choose if you wanted the extra money on Friday. So far, James had struck the offer up, but your boss was nice enough to let other people try for it too. You wanted to take the extra cash, but now..?

-same. how about we meet at my place at 4?

*sounds temperate

You smile.

*address?

You tell him your location and slowly pull yourself away, telling him goodnight. You sleep better that night, dreaming of strumming a guitar with a skeleton, before you're awoken by a loud 'scree' and 'crash!' outside of your home. The smell of fire sends you awake before you freeze at the scene in front of you.

_Welp, there goes my cash!_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment anything i mispelled or something you think i typed wrong? i have no time to go over this. oops.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first part is in sans pov, "***********" means pov switch
> 
> slight gore, and warning- i don't know how crime scenes work, cringe as you please.

Sans rolled off his bed, towards the 'BEEP BEEP!' noise. He checked the time, then smashed the 'I'm awake so shut the hell up' button (as Sans had named it)- it was 6:20 AM. _yay, work._

He grabbed a clean shirt from the dresser, and some gym shorts like usual. Tip-toeing down the hall, he made sure that Papyrus was asleep before turning around and stepping in the shower.

Once he was done, he checked the time again. 6:40, and he had work at 7. He hopped on his bike, too tired to shortcut, and started the engine up. He threw the helmet on, buckling it to his face, and took off.

It was around five minutes later when disaster struck.

He was going in-between two cars, a white truck and red Honda, when one honked. The Honda. It tried to ram into his motorcycle, but out of fear Sans had sped up. It ended up hitting the white truck, which ran off the road from the force. _ouch, that woulda' hurt!_  The ditch the truck landed in crumbled and dirt collapsed, staining the snowy white color. A few screams rang out, but he didn't focus on it, as the Honda was still tailing.

The man driving it was cursing, and Sans cheekily smirked as he reached a one lane road. It was still behind him, though. The car hit the back of his bike, and then slowed down. It seemed like it had gotten enough revenge, but Sans?

He wouldn't have it.

He grabbed a pack of tacks that he had from his void-pockets, and dumped them on the road. The driver didn't notice and his tire deflated. Sans passed a few apartments before he looked behind him. The car was swerving a bit, which earned a few panicked yelps from the driver, and after a good five seconds the tired exploded with a loud 'pop'.  _good riddance._ Sans waved to the car as the tires screeched and sparks flew, then the Honda crashed into a someone else's car. The car's hood caught on fire, but that was all he saw before he drove onwards to work. For some reason, he couldn't shake the familiarity of the house and its car.

"karma's a bitch." Sans grinned and swerved into the parking lot.

****************

You rushed outside, freezing at the scene before you. A red Honda car had crashed into your own, and the Honda's hood was on fire, rapidly smoking. The airbag fluffed out, and blood was trickling from the shattered front window. You pulled your phone out, dialing 911. You didn't dare to check if the driver was alive.

"Hello, this is 911, where is the location of your emergency?"

You quickly tell them your location. "What happened?"

"Well, okay, I was asleep, and then I heard tires screeching and a crash, so I came outside and someone crashed into my car and their hood is on fire and I think they're dead and I don't know how to pay for this my mailbox is totaled and I don't have the money and-"

"Please slow down. Take a few breaths. We're sending someone there. Repeat what you said, I only heard a bit of it." You gulped for air, steadying yourself.

"I.. I walked outside because I heard a car crash.. and someone crashed into my car. Their hood.. oh god, it's on fire, my car is totaled, they hit my mailbox too." You started crying, the smoke stinging your eyes. You didn't bother to keep your voice steady and it cracked a few times.

"I don't know how to pay for it all. I just work at a restaurant. I think they fucking died, there's blood everywhere on my car and their windshield, what do I do?" Your vision blurred. The smoke was getting thicker, and you heard a few pops from the car hood. 

As if one cue, sirens echoed through the trees and light blared. A few police cars pulled in. "Okay, okay. Are they there yet?"

"Yes, yes the police are here. They're coming out." You gasped for air again, steadying your voice.

"Okay, I'm going to hang up. Okay?"

"Okay.." The phone beeped and you let it drop to the ground. You glanced up as an officer walked toward you, worry stringing their face. 

They held a hand out and you took it, not before shoving your phone back into your pocket. Great, there were people here. You wiped your tears and forced yourself to breath normally, in which the officers waited. A few were crowded around the car, eyes wide and focused. A firetruck pulled in.

"Ma'am, what happened?" Great, more explaining. You took another breath, your eyes dry now, and shoved your worries about money down.

"I was asleep, and I just heard this crash in my yard and smelled fire, so I came outside and.. and I saw  _this_." You mentally patted yourself on the back, since your voice was even and didn't have much emotion.

"Okay, anything else?" She was writing something down.

"Um, no, that's all I remember." She hummed in response and asked for your name. "Nora. My name is Nora."

"Alrighty, that's all now. You can go inside if you like, we'll check out the scene. You didn't look to see if he was alive, did you..?" You shook your head. "Okay. We'll call you out in a few. Please go get something to drink and eat, we don't want this smoke hurting you." You nodded and walked inside.

 _Haha, yay, debt!_ You walked into your kitchen and opened the fridge. A tupperware container of spaghetti sat in it, with a note. _When did this even get here?_  You smiled a tiny bit. The note read, "don't be upsetti, have some spaghetti," with no signature or mark as to who wrote it. The handwriting was neat, and you noticed it as familiar. If you weren't in your dazed state you would have recognized it as-

Your phone buzzed. You fished it out among a few packets of ketchup you kept, and slurped one of those up as well. Sans had texted you.

*i just got the ultimate revenge

-I just lost all my savings money

*what happened?

-some fucking honda just hit my ford  
-it's so bad  
-so what revenge did you get?  
-no use talking about shit i can't fix right?

You waited for a response but didn't get one. He was probably working, so you shrugged it off. You downed a glass of water and the microwave beeped, signaling that the spaghetti was done. You grabbed it, and paused. Was this going to be like Papyrus'? You shivered, and opened it. A sweet aroma shook you from your thoughts. Or rather, spicy. The spaghetti was inviting, and looked _delicious._ You eagerly dug in, forgetting the plate it was supposed to have. Your phone vibrated, and you grabbed it out of your pocket. 

*that must suck  
*you going' to work after that?

You thought for a moment, spinning spaghetti on a fork, and then called your boss. You told him your car was trashed and he told you you could have the next few days off.

-nah, just called in sick

*oh  
*uhh  
*you still up for the guitar or...?

-yeah, yeah i am actually.  
-i need cash somehow, but my job is boring and guitar playing isn't

You finished your spaghetti, as well as your second cup of coffee when a knock was on your door. You quickly took a few strides towards it, opening to greet an officer.

"Ma'am, how are you feeling?" She smiled.  _Akwarrd._

"Fine. I just ate some stuff too." You chuckled nervously.

The officer wrote some stuff down on the paper she was holding before glancing up at you once more. "Do you think you'll need to be going to the hospital?" You shook your head. "Okay. Do you have any insurance, or..?" You nodded and told her your plan, and she told you to take the day resting. You checked your phone again. Sans.

*mk  
*oh hey, tori called  
*she asked if you wanna eat dinner with her and her friends  
*ill be there

-sure, id love to get out of the house  
-i heard her cooking is really good

*mhm  
*it'll be sansational

-wow, that doesn't relate to the topic at all.

You chuckled, downing a cup of sweet coffee.

-im sure it'll be a latte of fun

*thats doesn't relate either

-im drinking coffee

*o  
*thank you for espressoing your feelings then

-thats why we're in americano

*you mocha have a lot of coffee puns huh?

-you cappuccino on that

*what?

-can count

*jesus that was bad  
*you macchiato of took time with that

-dont be a flat white

*you're being a hot chocolate

-that wasn't very smoothie

*that was breve of you to say, for i am the smoothest of all skeletons

-do you have a dead eye, bc papyrus is smoother than u

*o  
*i was frappe to say that i was 2nd best but..

-yeah, right

*brew you

-leaf me alone

*okay, ill tea you to it

You giggled at the screen, when you realized you were out of puns.

 -ok, im out

*same

-what time?  
-and address?

*?

-tori's place

*oh.

*7:30 and we'll eat at 8

He sent the address and you sent a 'thanks' to him, before realizing something.

-arent you at work

*eh  
*i finished early, yenno, magic

-oh  
-where do you work?

*any jobs that are quick or rack up money  
*with the exception of a hot dog stand

-o  
-im gonna go grocery shopping but, kinda wrecked my car.  
\- do you think you could swing by?

It was an odd question, being to the fact that you kinda met him a week ago, and because he seemed wary of you. His reply was expected

*eh, im kinda busy

-thats ok, i can get my friend

So you do. You text Bayley for over an hour, sharing out your lives since she's 'been busy' for the past week. She calls as soon as you tell her about what just happened.

"BOI ARE YOU OKAY!?" She shrieks. You nearly drop the phone.

"Okay one; don't scream and two; did you just assume my gender? We're in America, yenno." You giggle.

"Oh. Sorry about that. And yes, yes I did. Anyways, why did you want me?"

"Oh, hum, I need to go to the store and I kinda, y'know, totaled my car, remember?"

"Ohhh okay. I'll be over in like, 10 minutes as long as I can stay the night." You thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm actually going over to a friend's place-"

"YOU GOT FRIENDS?" She squealed.

"Holy shit dude, you're gonna burst my eardrums. And yes, yes I did!" You replied excitedly. Now that you think about it, you really  _were_ a lonely person. You heard a car crank up from the other end.

"Can I come over?"

"Uh, I'll ask. Also, future warning, they're all monsters."

The other line was silent.

"Yeah. Okay, like I didn't know. Anyways, you tell them I wanna come over and yeah, I'll see you in a bit." She hung up.  _Weird._ You texted Toriel.

-hey toriel, my friend wants to come over the the dinner party, is that fine?

*Yes, my dear. Have you decided to come?

-mhm.

-Great! I will see you at 7:30!

You texted Bayley, but she didn't read until you heard a car pull into your lot and two knocks on your door. You opened the door and saw her eyes, sparkly with worry and excitement.

"That is a gruesome scene out there." She gestured to the police officers, which were lining, 'Warning! Crime scene!' tape around your yard, but leaving room for cars to pull in. A camera crew was sitting outside of your house.

You simply nodded, and a woman in a red shirt bounded up, blonde hair bouncing. "Hello ma'am, we were wondering if it would be okay to film the scene on the news?" You repeated your earlier gesture. "Great! And also, are you okay with your name being shared, and possibly doing a small interview on the air?" You thought for a moment.

"I would rather not either, eheheh.." You trailed off, but the woman just smiles understandingly. 

"Okay then." She walked back to the news crew, who were nodding a bit and giving you a thumbs up.

"Let's go." Bayley grabbed your hands and you squeezed it as the pair skipped to her car.

* * *

You slung the mayonnaise into the fridge, sighing. "What time is it Bayley?"

"6:45, why?" You cursed under your breath. 

"We gotta arrive at the place at 7:30." You ran to your room where your friend was on the couch, waiting. 

"Mmk. I don't need to prep. Also when are you gonna stop wearing those contacts? It's creepy."

"Oh, I forgot I was wearing them." You laughed. "But I think they look cool." Your eyes were black and your pupil was white. "Makes me look badass."

"Guess you're right." Bayley giggled, inspecting a drawing she had found. "Who's this?"

Your eyes trailed down to the comic of Papyrus and Sans you'd drawn months ago, and you snatched it away. "N-nobody! He doesn't.. exist?" You face palmed. "Eh, doesn't matter."

She shrugged as you stepped into the shower, door open. "Ooh, whats this?" She reached under your mattress, pulling your diary out. You smirked. 

"My diary." Her eyes lit up in mischievous before she opened the book, confusion lacing her face.

"What the hell?" She looked up at you, a bit angry but still flustered.

You had taught yourself to write in, a very very sloppy, Wingdings font. "It was to make sure nobody read it."

"And you understand this?" You turned the steamy water off and stepped onto the rug, grabbing your towel. You friend obviously didn't care about your nakedness, neither did you. 

"Mhm." After a few minutes of her trying to translate the strange language, you stepped out of the bathroom, clothing on, and sat down next to her. "Oh, that entry is about you." You teased. It was really about a dog that you pet one day, but she didn't know.

"Ugh. You're a nerd." She stuffed it back under the mattress. "Hey, look. It's 7:15." You finished drying your hair and brushed your teeth quickly at the notion. "Leggo, frand." She walked outside, you following shortly after. Most of the police men were gone now, only about two cars in your lawn. Your car was still there but the Honda had been taken away. You assumed they would take yours next.

You hopped into the drivers side of Bayley's car after telling her your intentions and drove off. You could practically smell the sweet scent of butterscotch-cinnamon pie in the air as you pulled into the packed yard of Toriel's house.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew! that was fun. the next chapter should be out by tomorrow but i might take another day


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the photo that is of sans mentioned somewhere in the chapter. i didn't make it, no credit to me ok?  
> [Sans in Judgement Hall](http://chiarasanchi.deviantart.com/art/Mercy-s-Off-The-Table-Kid-596782393)
> 
> here's can't help falling in love, too  
> [Can't Help Falling in Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGJTaP6anOU)
> 
> Also, Frisk is female in my story, but you can pretend otherwise if you want.

You stepped up the stairs to the large house, hearing a few laughs and shouts inside. You checked the time. "We're like 5 minutes late." You sighed, knocking thrice on the purple wood.

"Oh well." Bayley bounced beside you. 

"Oh! Nora is here!" You heard Toriel's melodious voice. The knob twisted and you barely had a second to spare before she wrapped both you and Bayley into a large, furry hug.

"Tori! You _goat_ to let go of me so I can breath!" You laugh-wheezed, Bayley groaning. You could hear a deep yet quivering voice beyond the goat.

"hehe, nice one kiddo." Toriel stood out of the way and shut the door to show Sans. Bayley gasped excitedly.

"Ohhhhh! I've seen you before! At that comedy standup!" You stood thoughtfully for a moment. You had been planning to become a janitor there, as it paid a bit over minimum wage. 

"uh, yeah, hi." Heavy guilt showered his face- he was sweating and refused to look at you. He stared at his feet, lights dimmed to a grey color.

"Hi Sans, this is my friend Bayley. Bayley, Sans." Bayley walked up to Sans, who was holding his hand, still slick with sweat, out. You could see an orange ball in his hand, and a loud 'pfft' surrounded the room as Bayley grasped it.

Bayley yelped, pulling back, shocked and amused. Everyone bursted out laughing, melodious and loud, with the exception of Bayley and Sans. When it died down, Undyne stood up from the couch and dragged Alphys over to you. "Hey punks!" She shook your hand with passion. "Are you Nora?" You simply nodded. Undyne looked a lot more friendly than in-game, but Bayley shrunk in slight fear. 

Undyne turned around and whispered something to Alphys. "It's n-nice to meet y-you..? My name is Al-Alphys."Alphys squeaked nervously. You smiled sympathetically at her, calming her nerves. 

"And I'm Undyne!" The fish flexed for whatever reason. "Sans has told us LOADS about you!" Undyne smiled brightly, sharp teeth glinting. Sans didn't notice or didn't care, he was staring at the ground in shame for some reason. Probably the former.  _Why's he acting so weird?_  you thought. Undyne noticed Bayley next to you and promptly shook her hand as well. "Bayley, right? Good to meet you too." Undyne remarked with half the enthusiasm, but still loudly. Bayley didn't seem to mind though, and loosened up a bit..

You and Bayley introduced yourself and some of your hobbies to the other monsters and they shared theirs back as you waited for dinner. Of course, you knew about it all, but asked legit questions anyways for Bayley. The group was agape as you replied to Frisk, they all seemed shocked you knew sign language. You provided as a translator for Bayley, and, eventually, everyone they all got over the initial shock after a few moments. Sans watched you nervously the entire time, wary of you. 

"How'd you learn sign language?" Bayley asked later on. You glanced at her with dark eyes.

"Bayley.." You looked away then. She looked confused, and then her eyes dimmed in recognition.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry Nora, I-" Toriel saved the day, because your memories were steadily coming back until she spoke.

She stood up, clasping her huge paws together. "Let me go heat up the food for us now. You may all take a seat at the dining table!" Everyone stood up and bounded towards the kitchen, with you, Bayley, Alphys, Frisk, and Sans going a tad bit slower.

"She didn't cook the food yet?" Bayley whispered. 

"She has fire magic, so it's really fast." You explained quietly. You and Bayley were the last two in the kitchen, where Sans was next to an empty seat. It was the only spot left, besides the one beside it where Bayley would sit, and you eagerly took it. You were excited to try some of the monster food, but Sans..?

He was still looking guilty and nervous, especially when you sat next to him. His eyes flickered to you for a moment, albeit upon seeing you, he slouched down, wiping the sweat away. His smile went back to lazy a lazy grin albeit a bit strained and nearly all of his guilt was erased, though you could tell he was still afraid of something. You decided not to question it, however weird it was. Your thoughts dissipated as a plate of various fish was set down, peas and mashed potatoes along with it. It was a strange combo, and it looked..  _fishy._ You decided to break out some puns.

"Toriel, this looks really good! Are you sure that  _salmon_ else made this instead of you..?" Everyone looked at you in a chorus of laughter and groans. Sans seemed to forget what was bothering him.

"hey, i  _hake_ to break it to ya, but didn't we use these puns a few days ago?" You snickered.

"I think so, it does seem a bit  _fishy_ to use them again!" A few people laughed, some more reluctant than others.

"Why,  _weed_ better dig in before the food grows cold!" Toriel's eyes sparkled a bit. 

"ok, ok, but let  _minnow_ if you miss our puns." Sans gave you a wink.

Undyne dug in first. _Cannibalism?_ Oh well. Plates were served quickly and everyone started munching eagerly. You took a bite, and as you did, the food seemed to fizz and crackle until it disintegrated. You didn't even have to swallow- although you guessed that was especially for the skeletons- for it to fill you up. You accidentally, quietly, moaned at the popping sensation and flavor, which was better than anything you'd _ever_ eaten, and you covered your face in embarrassment. Nobody really seemed to hear except Bayley, who giggled at you, and in return you smacked her forehead lightly. Hopefully Sans didn't hear, and if he did, he didn't show.

Papyrus was confused as to what the food was, since it wasn't spaghetti or Italian in the least, but ate it anyways. You were atleast 99% sure he didn't know what it tasted like, since he didn't know how to manifest a tongue, when he said, "THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!" 

You and Sans snickered- he seemed to think the same thing. He looked at you in surprise and you accidentally mimicked him.

"Thank you, Papyrus!" Toriel remarked. Slow conversation started from then on. Frisk was talking to Papyrus, something about his action figures and cars. Toriel spoke to Sans, and they were making knock knock jokes. Alphys and Undyne were talking about going on an Anime spree, while you talked about the car incident to Bayley. Sans froze when he heard you, or you assumed he heard you, because his eyes flickered to you and he began sweating again. 

"uh, hold on, i gotta.. do something." He blipped out of sight. Bayley gasped.

"He can TELEPORT?" You snickered at her surprise. 

"Yeah, and he has telekinesis. Don't tell him I know that, though." You whispered to Bayley. Toriel looked worried.

"Nora, do you know what is wrong with Sans?" She asked quietly. You shrugged.

"Nope." You replied, popping the 'p'. The rest of the night dragged on, Sans nowhere to be seen, for about 3 hours. The partygoers ended up turning on Zootopia for Papyrus and Frisk and a played few board games. Everyone had fallen asleep, with Undyne and Alphys cuddling on the couch and Papyrus and Bayley on a mattress. You had insisted she sleep with him just because he enjoyed company, but you knew that they were a perfect match.

You were dosing off when you heard the door creak open quietly, and a very tired Sans lumbered through. You pretended to be asleep, and he ended up settling right next to you. The mattress was full, and there was only that space for him left, so he plopped down and sighed- not that you minded.

You closed your eyes completely and felt his own bore into you. Sans leaned back into the couch, which caused you to lean slightly on him. He didn't mind, you thought, which was weird because he looked so guilty next to you. Oh well. You ended up falling asleep by him with dreams of a skeleton drinking ketchup at a comedy Standup, while you cheered in the crowd.

****************

Sans blipped out of the kitchen and onto your yard. He had to fix this. There was police tape around your yard and a lone police officer by the entrance, but he seemed asleep. _perfect_.

Sans walked over to your car, sighing. He used to be a car technician, hence to why he read car magazines, and pulled a wrench from his pocket. Yep, he was glad he could pull random stuff out of his pockets. He got to work, sweating loads, and finished within three hours. His ability to move things was a great help. He stood back, looking at the finished car.

He had mended the windows together with heat from the blasters, repaired most of the dents, fixed your car lights and repaired the engine. The fuel tank had a leak that he filled up and even poured some gas up to the brim, nevermind where he ~~stole~~ got it from. In the end, the silver ford had a bunch of dimples, a flat tire, and countless scrapes, but it cranked up fine- in which he tried doing.

During the entire repair, the man hadn't even peeped, he was still snoring heavily. Sans wrote a note to you and blipped away, feeling slightly better about himself.

He landed on the steps of Toriel's house, tired. He steadied his rasping breath for a moment and opened the door slowly as to not awake anyone. He would have stayed outside and stargazed if it weren't for the clouds.

You were asleep on the couch (now that he looked closer, faking) so he settled next to you. He wanted to remember your face, how you laughed, your bright voice and eyes and everything before you blocked him off. Who would like someone who broke their car, nonetheless a _monster?_ Wait, _what was he thinking?_ You were hardly a friend. Well, you kinda were a friend. You texted him everyday for no reason, talking about puns and space- so replied with puns and space. Was it okay to like someone who was another species? Ehh..

He ran his hands through your hair as your breathing slowed more. Yep, now you were asleep. You subconsciously leaned onto his shoulder and murmured something about a pun, and to that he fell asleep. The last thing he remembered was a heavy weight on his lap.

* * *

 

Sans woke up to the feeling of Undyne getting off the bed. The same weight was on his lap, and he looked down. You lay there, snoozing, on him. Wow.. It was so  _cute._  Sans flushed a blue color, his cheeks growing cold.  _no, no, you can't think about her that way, theres no way she'll like you. you met her a week ago. jesus._ Albeit he had these thoughts, he stroked your hair away from your face- when nobody was looking, of course. He felt your breathing uneven and you snuggled into his lap, now awake. 

Bayley hopped into the room with a mug of coffee and smirked to Sans when she saw the situation, which made him stain blue again. He laid his arm across your waist subconsciously and you blinked open your eyes.

****************

You woke up with a warm pillow below your head. You snuggled into it, trying to fall back asleep. Some dishes were clanking and a few voices sounded, but you didn't give it much thought. You felt something lay across your waist but it didn't really register until you opened your eyes. You saw Sans looking down at you in mild surprise, a light blue dusted across his face. 

"Shit, oh fuck, I'm sorry." You said, rolling off. He scratched the back of his skull with an unpleasant sound.

"uh, it's fine." He looked away, flushing a deeper blue. You heard a giggle and saw Bayley looking at you with a cup of coffee. Your cheeks burned. Making sure Frisk and Papyrus were gone, you flipped her off, earning a laugh from both Sans and Bayley.

"Hey, don't you have work today?" Bayley mused. You hesitated.  _Did you?_ No, you were gonna hang out with Sans.

"Nope." You yawned, stretching, and popped a few bones, which earned a distressed look on Sans. 

"thats so creepy, oh my god. how do you even do that." You popped your knuckles and he flinched, eyes going wide. He tried to do his and his eyes almost _sparkled_ when they cracked. "holy shit. i gotta show this to papyrus." He ran into the kitchen, where you heard the dish clanking pause and Papyrus squeak.

"BROTHER, ARE YOU OKAY?" You heard his voice echo a bit. 

"Wow. What's your plans for today?" Bayley sat down on the love seat with you.

"Guitar practice with Snas." You replied.

"Snas?" Bayley cocked her head like a dog. 

"Sans. Whatever. I call him Snas." You said, laughing a bit as your cheeks stained a light pink. You were greeted by Papyrus sticking his head out of the kitchen. 

"TORIEL IS SERVING 'COFFEE,' FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS SOME." He made a disgusted expression at the word 'coffee' before sitting next to Bayley. He had a cup of milk and was somehow drinking it.

You stood up, leaving them to chat, as they started to ramble on about Italian food. You entered the kitchen drowsily and made your way to the coffee machine. You pour some of it into your mug and mixed in your desired additions, taking a precarious sip afterwards.

"you really like coffee, huh?" Sans was sitting in the chair, his smile strained a little. You made no comment.

"Mhm." You slurped some, Sans following. He had brown looking coffee alike you. "I'd make some coffee puns but we used them all yesterday." You made a ':/' face. 

"eh." He slurped some more coffee, his half-lidded gaze on his phone. You patted down your pockets in search for yours, but didn't find it. You stood up to go look for your phone in the living room.

Sans looked at you questioningly, and you simply replied "Phone." You stepped into the living room and searched the couch's cushions, but to no avail, and headed back into the kitchen. The other partygoers were playing monopoly, shouting excitedly. Bayley was quiet, her expression a bit remorse, but you shrugged it off. You were almost as good at reading expressions as Sans was.

You finished off your coffee and got another mug full. "find it?" You shook your head. 

"I think I left it at home." You sighed. 

"oh? i can get you there fast." You looked at him excitedly. You knew what this meant. 

" _Please._ " You said, standing up. He chuckled and walked over, pushing his chair in. 

"hold on tight and close your eyes." He reached around your waist, which you let him do, but didn't close your eyes. A moment passed and the ground seemed to scatter beneath you. You felt like you were falling, and a blinding black greeted you, along with loud static. You saw what looked like a blaster before you plopped onto the ground. Sans simply looked at your, worried and amused as you stumbled. "you ok nora?"

You stood up, grabbing his shoulders excitedly. "Are you kidding? That was EXHILARATING!" You practically squealed. He chuckled as you walked towards your door, before noticing your car. You stopped twisting your doorknob and gaped at it. The dent was gone, tires fixed though flat, window good, and only dimples and scrapes remained. "Sans.."

He looked at you, eyes full of deep remorse. "yeah?" You trotted over to the car and ran your hand along it. There was a note on the windshield and you took it gingerly. Sans looked down at his shoes, twiddling his thumbs, as you read inwardly. 

_hey nora_

_i have some explaining to do._  
_1st off, i caused the crash. i was going down the street and some jerk tried to ram me off the road, so i dumped a load of tacks onto the road and he crashed into yours. thats why i've been so nervous.. oops?_  
_2nd off, i repaired your car. its not the best but i got it done faster than some insurance company. heh. um, if you don't wanna play guitar thats fine. i'm cool with it. hell, if you don't wanna see me ever again ring me up, it's my fault. sorry._

_snas_

Your eyes trailed over his name and you turned around to a sweating, nervous Sans. You dropped the note and stared for a moment. No wonder he was so nervous! You really didn't blame him. You wanted to be his friend. You know he caused it, but he felt so much regret that he  _fixed your car?!_ "look, i-" He started backpedaling, but you interrupted. You leaned down a bit, being slightly taller than him, and hugged him tight. He tensed up in surprise, but leaned into you and returned the gesture. You wanted to remain like that forever, but you didn't think Sans would like that, so you backed off after a while.

"Thank you  _so_ much Sans, I can't.. I can't say thank you enough. I mean I'd have to pay like a fourth of the insurance even if and they would probably get this done in like a week and now it looks totally cool and I can drive it and it's free and thank you so, so so _so much!_ " You rambled brightly to him. His eyes sparkled for a moment before returning to normal. 

"t-thanks.." He looked at his shoes and you turned around and walked into your house, him following.

After you had found your phone on your bed stand, you walked into the living room. He was looking around at all the drawings in utter surprise and deep confusion- half of them were Undertale.

"nora..?" You tensed. 

"Yep, let's go back to Toriels!" You dragged him out of your house, him allowing, an he wrapped his hand around your waist again.

You appeared in the kitchen again. "Please don't ask." You whispered to him, and he nodded. 

****************

As he entered your house, Sans looked at the many photos. One strike him in particular. It was..  _him.._ and it was highly detailed. It was where he was in judgement hall, dated a year ago, and he was in middle shot of summoning blasters and bones. He looked badass, but.. he had been free for only a month now, and the picture was a year old! More photos were of him in angst and his friends, some even drawn from Nora herself. His metaphoric stomach flipped and churned. You were obviously hiding something  _huge._ He reasoned it was hypocrital to call you out, because he had secrets too, but you seemed to  _know_ them all! It was so _frustrating._  From the moment you had met Sans, you knew how to cheer him up, what makes him happy, and had even treated all his friends as if you'd known them for years.

You walked in and tensed when you saw him staring the the photos. 

"nora..?"

You grabbed his wrist. "Yep, let's go back to Toriels!" Sans had the power to stay put, and you seemed to know that, but he went along with it. You looked worried and shameful, and from your expression you, indeed, thought he had found something out.

He teleported you back and you simply whispered, "Please don't ask." He nodded.

The pair of you walked into the cozy living room, where he sat down on the couch while you had chat with Frisk about school.

He started thinking.

In summary, he had met you and you seemed to know everything about him and friends. You also had a huge secret. You had photos of him and refused to show your phone to anyone (including Bayley, he noted, as you took your phone from her promptly), and everything you said was carefully thought of. He delved further- into the day he had met you.

He recalled walking up to you for a bottle of ketchup around midnight, and you were extremely confused to see him- in general. You acted as if.. as if you were going crazy..? He was worried you were a monster hater, and so tried to shoo himself away- big mistake, oops- and you said something about.. what was it? A game. A video game! Called.. Undertale. Maybe. Maybe-Undertale? Eh.

He pulled his phone out, searching up 'Sans the skeleton.' On google, a few drawings from your Instagram account popped up, so he just stalked your account instead. Low and behold, among the selfies, a few months back you had posted drawings on the monster friends. You were saying stuff like, 'sans from undertale! my first drawing of him.' He scrolled through your account, finding various monsters. If he was looking thoroughly, he would had seen the few Gaster drawings, but instead accidentally skimmed over them. One of the drawings of him had three sets of wings and was really colorful, in which you captioned, 'seraphim sans from a comic called the thought. this took a long time. oops?' His brows scrunched in confusion.

Eventually Papyrus poked his shoulder. "yeah, bro?" Sans didn't look up.

"BROTHER, WE ARE GOING TO GO HOME!" Sans stood up, but then sat back down.

"nah, bro, i've got guitar lessons with nora." Sans gestured to you, who was now playing as the shoe in Monopoly. You seemed to be winning. 

"NYEH? DO YOU NOT HAVE YOUR GUITAR?" Papyrus cocked a brow.

"i'll get it later." He turned his phone off. "it'll be an  _acoustic_ day." He looked Papyrus up and down.

"YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY RUINED MY DAY!" He threw his hands in the air and strutted outside, slamming the door.

"What was that all about?" You snickered, glancing up at Sans. He still didn't believe you forgive him, but was also wary of you.

"told papyrus that today was gonna be acoustic, 'cuz yenno.." He waved his hand in a 'so, so' motion.

"Ohh yeah!" You said. You moved your piece down a block and grabbed a card. "Aha!" You slapped a Community Chest card down and took $200, resulting in a groan from everyone else. 

"NGAHH! YOU'RE CHEATING!" Undyne flipped the entire set over, resulting in giggles from not-so-mute-Frisk and you.

Bayley and Alphys were a bit shocked, but the both ended up laughing a little.

Eventually Alphys and Undyne left, and you sent Bayley away, telling her you had a way to get home. Now it was just you, Frisk, and Toriel- along with Flowey somewhere in Frisks' room.

 **Nora, have you seen my friend, Flowey?** Frisk asked.

"Nope, afraid I haven't met him yet." Your eyes glinted in solid recognition. "Is he a Flower?" Frisk didn't notice your expression change.

**Yeah! How did you know?**

"Well, Flowey, Flower, kinda makes sense." You stole a glance towards Sans. 

 **Wanna meet him?** Frisks' hair swayed.

"Sure, kiddo." Frisk led you into their room, leaving Sans with Toriel.

"I do hope Flowey is nice to Nora." She sighed, grading papers.

"i'm sure she'll be fine." Sans knew you would. "i can go check on her, if ya like." He said. Anything for an excuse, really.

"That would be lovely." She said, marking a kid's paper as 'A (95) Nice job!'

"k." Sans walked into the hall way and paused by Frisks' room, pressing his metaphorical ear to the wall.

"-the Flower!" You laugh. 

"I know you're a flower, silly."

A pause.

"Yeah, Frisk, sure." Flower remarked, a tad bit of annoyance in his tone. "So, are you that trash bag's girlfriend I've been hearing about?"

"I- We're not- what?" Sans' cheeks felt cold, a sign that he was blushing. 

A pause. A groan.

"Oh come on Frisk, not you too!" He hears shuffling. Your voice is muffled. "I can't believe you."

A pause, a squeak. "Hmm. Your soul is weak." Flowey's voice distorts. "I can fix that!" 

You sighed. "Flowey, can you put my SOUL away please?" Sans tensed, ready to summon an attack and stop him. Flowey seemed to choke on something.

"Why aren't.. Ugh. Whatever. Your soul looks fucking weird, with those three colors. Frisk, can you not?" He retorted. Sans unreadied the attack, seeming confused. Your SOUL was three colors..?

A long pause, followed by an angry sigh. 

"I don't have money!" Flowey screeches.

Another pause, followed by you giggling. 

"Better get working, Flowey! You'll never pay the swear jar off at this rate! Not even I have that much money!" You giggled.

"Fuck you.." A loud pat. "Ow! Fine, fine, okay! I'll stop, don't slap me again. Sheesh."

A long pause. 

"No, I'm gonna play guitar with Sans today." 

A long pause, small whimper from Frisk, and then a squeak from her as well. 

"Frisk I  _swear_ we're just friends!" You sigh, embarrassment in your tone. The door knob turned and Sans teleports onto the couch.

"How was she?" Toriel circles a problem on the test. 

"fine, fine. she was fine." His ~~heart~~ SOUL was racing.

Toriel glanced up at him and smiled, almost knowingly, before returning to her papers. 

"-stahhhp!" Your voice came into range.

 **-ship it!** Frisk as signing as she walked in. 

Sans simply played there with his eyes closed, listening to the 'conversation.' He was pretty good at pretending to be asleep.

"Whatever. Sans! Wake up!" You said, walking towards him. You shoved him lightly, shaking him, and he peeked an eye socket open. "Guitar stuff."

"'kay, hold on. i needa get mine." Sans said, sitting up and teleporting to his house. Every time you would step near, his soul bounced around and his magic became, dare he say, uncontrollable? He didn't know why this happened- it hadn't appeared with Toriel, Frisk, or even Papyrus, from when he loved them to his max. He shook the feeling off and walked down the hall to his room, grabbing his guitar.

He strummed it briefly and then teleported back into Toriel's living room. 

"You up for one more?" You said, turning to him. He nodded, wrapping a hand around your waist (which proved hard to do with carrying a guitar). Frisk winked a moment before he teleported into your house. You showed no signs of being affected and bounced into your room. When he entered, you had your guitar case out and phone on the bed. When you both finished tuning your guitars, you sat down on the bed and picked up your phone.

"Okay so I really wanted to play this song called  _Can't Help Falling in Love_ by  _Elvis Presley_ so.." You trailed off, tapping something in the search bar. "You up for singing it?" Nora glanced at Sans.

"sure, i guess. i've heard it before, i think." 

"Mmkay." You tapped a button, and let it play out. When it was done, you explained. "So, here are the cords.."

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> text will be slanted when singing lyrics.  
> happy thanks giving! or maybe late, if i cant get it out early enough :T
> 
>  
> 
> [ Can't Help Falling in Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGJTaP6anOU)
> 
> please tell me any grammar errors and your opinions/thoughts on this chapter!  
> first part is in Sans' POV
> 
> sorry it's so short, rushed to get this out.

It was Saturday, November 19th and you'd practiced, non-stop, with Sans over the course of several hours. You'd both become confident with your "acoustic playing" and now found yourselves setting up on the street corner.

Sans sat down on the stool you'd brought out for him, looking up. You seemed excited at the prospect of having another person to play with, and smiled. You both tuned your guitars and played a few scales, just to warm up.

"ready?"

"Ready." You breathed. A couple of people were crowded around already- Nora had named them regulars, apparently- and the duo started to strum the guitar. The rythymic notes lulled the crowd to a quiet trickle as Sans' voice carried out, strong.

" _wise men say  
only fools rush in._

_but i can't help  
falling in love with you."_

A few monsters you recognized- Toriel, Whimsum, Catty and Bratty, and Burgerpants- had gathered around. Toriel was looking on with great interest as Sans sang.

" _shall i stay?  
would it be a sin?_

 _if i can't help  
_ _falling in love with you."_

A few people walked up and placed money in the box. Sans was surprised at how much cash they were earning- you said you'd only get a ten over the course of hours and you already had five.

" _like a river flows_  
_surely to the sea  
darling so it goes  
some things _ _are meant to be (hee!)_

_oh take my hand  
take my whole life too_

_for i can't help  
falling in love with you" _

Sans closed his eyes, rocking to the rhythm of the song. Toriel had started softly singing the song, you were humming it. Suddenly the thought occurred-  _why did Nora pick this song, of all songs?_

 _"_ _like a river flows_  
_surely to the sea_  
_darling so it goes_  
 _some things_   _are meant to be (hee~!)_

_take my hand  
take my whole life too_

_for i can't help  
falling in love with you_

_for i can't help  
falling in love~ with~ you~~" _

You strummed the last note, then looked at Sans. Your eyes met as the crowd around you started cheering and depositing money. 

Sans' SOUL fluttered at the sight; your eyes twinkled brightly, like a shooting star. You smile was so sweet that he thought it belonged in a cake. For once, he felt his grin expand into something genuine before you looked away. He couldn't help but think that look was directed to someone else.

"Again! Again!" Someone shouted. Sans' eyes flickered over to Monster Kid, who was perched on Undyne's shoulders. She was grinning madly, and winked at Sans. He forced down a blush at the gesture in assumption.

"Are you up for it again?" You said warmly.

"sure."

So Sans and you play it again.

..and again.

You stop when someone asks to play a song in which you hadn't heard before, so you and Sans look up the chords. In turn, it tells you two sets of guitar- background and main- so that you can both play. Sans takes the main (after you insist he does) and you take the background, which was a bit harder.

You realize that it requires a female and male voice a moment before someone waves.

"Professor Sans! I didn't know you had a girlfriend!" A girl- in her teens- calls.

"uh, actually we're not dating, molly." Toriel snickers at this, covering her snout with a paw. You're swimming in thought.

"Professor?" You ask.

"i work as a quantum physics teacher in college. thought you knew." He murmured quietly, playing a few chords.

"You totally are, though! _I_ ship it." Molly calls deviously. Undyne catches Sans' eye again, giving him a wicked smile and thumbs up.

"Cool!" You pause "Let's start playing this though, before.. it gets more awkward." You give a breathy laugh with a pink tint to your cheeks.

Sans nods, strumming a few notes again, you included. Then you play the song together. Of course, you mess up a lot, being that you'd never played it before, but you still gather a crowd.

People like the sight of Sans, apparently, because by now you've got over $25 in the 'Tips' bin, he assumes, as a male drops $5 in. Sans smiles extra wide at the man before his part comes.

Hours pass. Toriel leaves, along with BP and Monster Kid. Catty and Bratty are squealing, taking photos of the pair during the entire play until they pad off. A few monsters, like Whimsum and Pyrope, stick around the entire time until you leave.

Once you both do leave, putting each guitar in its case, Sans sits on your bed- he'd put his guitar up while you take a shower- thinking. His darker thoughts swim forward first.

 _okay, okay, okay. she knows about you. like, almost everything, but she doesn't mention the resets and gaster.. she also didn't know about the college job, so..? ugh. maybe someone told her some shit. she always comforts me even though i haven't said anything about my depression, as if she knows its there. she's super nice to papyrus too and knew his spaghetti would taste bad before she ate it. so someone told her.. a lot of stuff.. about us._ He stands up, walking into the living room. He gazes out at each photo, pacing.  _every drawing she has up here.. why is it us? why not her parents.. or family.. or self? i don't understand!_ He sits down on the couch, frustrated.  _how!?_ He thinks over again.  _video game.. undertale.. fuck it, i'm gonna ask her._ He sighs, resting back on the couch. There's a notepad on the table, and he picks it up, making sure you're still in the shower.

He opens the first page. It's a diary written in hands, so "nobody can read it" as it says on the spine. He feels guilty, but..

_Entry One_

_My parents went missing today. I hope they never come back. I fucking hate them._

He wonders about your parents, and skips ahead a bunch.

_Entry Eleven_

_Sans just walked up to me. A fucking skeleton. He's real. Undertale is real. Monsters are fucking real. I'm going insane. Or.. heh.. in sanse! oksorryfutureme_

He raises a brow, but reads ahead more.

_Entry Twelve_

_Oh my god. I just met Toriel too. They're all things. Omgomgomgomg! I can't believe it! This means I actually met SANS! I'm beyond excited. I can't wait to see him again. And Papyrus and Undyne and Alphys and all of them!_

_.._

_I hope they don't find out though. Heheh..._

_Entry Thirteen_

_Okay, so, same day from last entry, he just asked me to eat out at Starbucks with him! Oh my god, i can't wait. I'm gonna surprise him with dark chocolate, since that should be.. uhm.. Not even gonna put that in my diary. hhhhhh_

_Entry Fifteen_

_I think he's finding out.. But that's okay! i guess. heh. He invited me over. Papyrus is such a cinnamon roll tho! I love him. I can see why Sans loves him so much._

_Entry Eighteen_

_my car got demolished and someone died on my lawn_

He stops. They.. _died_?! Oh god.. He hurriedly flips to the next entry, guilt crawling up him like vines.

_Entry Nineteen_

_I went to Tori's and I woke up in his lap. I wish I didn't open my eyes so I could have stayed longer.._

Oh god. Oh god oh god you like-

The shower water turns off, and he flips to the first page and places the notebook back in the place it was. He then hurriedly shuffles over to the bed and sits down, phone in hand. He goes into his texts, where Papyrus had messaged.

*SANS WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME  
*SANS?  
*I'M GOING TO CALL

_2 Missed Calls_

*SANS! PLEASE CALL ME AS SOON AS YOU CAN!

..whoops.

He clicks the 'call' button, pressing the phone to his.. ear.. area..

It rings three times before Papyrus answers

"SANS WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" His voice is obnoxiously loud, but, lacking ears, it doesn't affect Sans.

"at nora's place."

"..OH. WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME THEN? I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU WILL BE HAVING A SLEEPOVER! UNDYNE SAYS YOU WILL!" Sans blushes furiously at this, gulping even though he doesn't need to.

"n-no, bro, i don't think i will. i haven't asked her.."

"Asked me what?" You walked out of the bathroom- fully clothed- with still wet hair.

"um. uh, pap-"

"SANS WANTS TO SLEEP OVER AT YOUR PLACE!" Undyne yells into the phone extra loud. Sans' eyes go dark, and he shuffles his hood over his head to hide the blush that is giving his face frostbite.

"..Sure!" Your voice sounds excited and nervous, quivering slightly.

"EXCELLENT! I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW MORNING, THEN!" Papyrus says into the phone, Undyne laughing so hard she's wheezing. The call abruptly ends and leaves Sans sitting there, blushing madly, looking dumbfounded. 

_this is gonna be a long night._

****************

You walk out of the shower, hair damp. "Ask me what?" 

Sans looks at you frantically, cheeks stained a pretty blue. "um. uh, pap-" He starts.

"SANS WANTS TO SLEEP OVER AT YOUR PLACE!" You hear Undyne's voice. Sans' face becomes a navy blue and he, quickly, covers his face with his hood.

You're delighted at the thought of your crush-idol-friend-monster staying over, and slightly nervous, but before Sans can say otherwise you reply. "..Sure!" 

Sans tenses, then relaxes, then tenses again.

"EXCELLENT! I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW MORNING, THEN!" Papyrus says, Undyne cackling, before the call is ended quickly.

Sans slowly lowers the phone. "...look-"

"If you don't want to stay you don't have to, but I don't mind." You say, before he can excuse himself. He sighs, placing a hand on his forehead.

"thanks.." There's a long pause, before he looks up at you, blush gone. "nora.. how.. do you know so much about us..?" He says quietly.

"when you ask a question, you seem to know the answer. you knew papyrus' spaghetti was bad before you ate it, you knew how to settle undyne, alphys is comfortable around you.. you have  _photos_ of us in your living room and social media.." He sighs. 

You hesitate, mulling over your options.

You could lie, and he'd know. You could either lie or tell him not to worry about it, and he'd be worried or anxious. He'd know you were lying.

You could tell him the truth. That Undertale is a game. You could tell him how much you know about his family, show him Undertale- since you still had it on your computer, through a download that wasn't steam- and he might.. hate you.

"look, you don't have to tell me, i mean-"

"No." You say, deciding your options.

"what?"

"I'll.. I'll just show you." You sigh, walking over to your computer. You gesture for him to follow, and he does. You type in the pass code, open your library, and hold the mouse over 'Undertale.' The only reason it wasn't deleted was because it was not by Steam, it was a download from the internet.

You open it. The intro sequence plays.

" _Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: MONSTERS and HUMANS._

_One day, war broke out between the two races._

_After a long battle, the humans were victorious._

_They sealed the monster Underground with a magic spell._

_Many years later..._

_MT. EBOTT  
2011_

_Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return."_

_**The child, Frisk, trips and falls into the mountain's pit.** _

You glance at Sans. He's frozen, tense, but slowly nods to continue. You press 'z' before the intro can play again. You'd last saved before fighting Toriel on a Pacifist route.

You progress until you end up fighting Toriel.

"tori.." Sans breathes as you enter the fight. His eyes were trained onto the screen through the entire fight.

Then you walk into Snowdin.

Sans' eyes are hazy, and he glances up at you in remorse and hurt when he walks up in game. 

"nora.." He breaths. You simply look at him. "this.. game.. does it say.. anything about gaster..?" He's looking intently at your face, reading it.

"A bit. The river person and his followers mention it." You reply, quietly.

He nods, standing up and rubbing his eyes. You take this hint and close Undertale.

"heh.." He glances at his hands, which were trembling slightly.

"..Sans?" His eyes flicker towards you, a conflicted expression showing. "Do you.. want to go for a walk?" You suggest.

"yes. yes, please." He sighs, muttering something to himself. "i would love a walk."

****************

Sans closes the door behind the pair, and you glance at him worriedly. The sky is still slightly bright, though the sun is falling at a rather quick pace. When had everything sped up? The breeze stirs him back into reality, and he walks beside you, down a path. You lead him towards a park, which has a trail into the woods that you come to. His thoughts catch up to him, muffling the scrunch of leaves.

His life is in a video game. He doesn't know how much of it is; you seemed to infer a lot about him, now that he thinks about it. His friend's lives were in a video game. Then he realizes.. 

_Everything that had happened with Frisk you saw._

_You knew about timelines, resets, his secrets. His code words, his room, god, you knew how much of a slob he was. You knew about his depression, his addiction, his interests, his dad.._

He glances up. He's deep in the woods; already? It feels like seconds have passed. He feels himself trembling.

_How did you know about his flavor, then? Dark chocolate? How did you know how to treat him? Those were never mentioned to Frisk, as well as.._

_Fan base. Games have a fan base. Does that mean.._

His shaky, bony hand finds yours. Relief pulses through him as you make no objective to move your hand away.

_His life is just a.. game..?_

He stops, and you stop with him. He turns and hugs you tight, tears threatening to spill yet he forces them down. He can feel you stroke his cranium over the numbness he had felt. He calms down dramatically at this.

You both stay like that for a long time, in comfortable silence.

"im sorry." His voice is quivering. He doesn't know what he's apologizing for, but you don't seem to acknowledge this. You solely want to comfort him.

"It's okay, Sans." You murmur, soothing him. He pulls you tighter, whimpering. A tearless sob escapes him.

He pulls himself away reluctantly, and you do too. "Do you want to go home?"

"no.." He says, his voice sounding slightly stronger than it should be. "i want.. to stay with you. today." The sky is darkening, the rings of light fading slowly over the horizon. "i can't think about going home right now. it jus' feels.. wrong." He breathes.

You nod. The pair of you walk to your house. The time passes a lot shorter than he had wanted, and when you reach the park it's already dark. "hey."

You look at him softly. "Hmm?"

"can i.. um.." He waves at the stars, who are twinkling brightly above. You nod, laying down on the grass as he does.

****************

You can hear him muttering star names and constellations as he lays down. The stars seem to spin around you, and you swear you can see a comet or two. You wish privately, hoping it comes true.

You aren't the best with stars and all, but you can spot a few constellations and planets. "Orions' Belt, Ursa's.. Oh, Mars.. Venus.. Mm.. Ooh, the Pleiades.." You whisper to yourself. Sans shift slightly- did he move closer to you? You don't mind.

It was a while before you drifted off to sleep- you're not sure how long- before you wake up in your bed. Sans' bulky figure is sitting on the end, past your feet, earbuds in (somehow?) and facing away from you. He must have carried you here.. "Sans?" You murmur just loud enough for him to hear. He glances back. 

"hmm?"

"What time is it?" You peel the covers off, crawling out of bed.

"uh, 7:53." He recites. You mull over why you asked, and then are reminded by your growling stomach. 

"Okay, I'm gonna make some food." You yawn, stretching. Your bones pop, and he seems to grin a little wider at that, snickering very softly. You don't catch either, because it's dark and your stomach growls again.

You make your way into the kitchen and flick the lights on. Your eyes protest, but then adjust after a moment. You think over what you want to eat before pulling out a pot and filling it with water. The butter, cheese, milk, and macaroni shells and placed onto the counter and you start melting the Velveeta in a smaller pot. Stirring every now and then, you let a glide of milk enter the- now cheesy- pot of Velveeta. While you wait for the water to boil, you think about today.

Sans hadn't gotten mad at you. And, oh god, he'd  _carried_ you home. You can faintly remember snuggling up to his chest as Sans waded, bridal style, to your house. 

The water starts to boil and you slowly mix in the macaroni shells, the cheese starting to melt into clumps now. You add some more milk as Sans pads in, one hand in his pocket and the other on his phone. His earbuds are gone- presumably in those infinite-carrying-pockets- and he looks up at you.

"nora, look at this." He walks over, showing you his phone. He clicks play and a few vines play before he says, "this one." A girl appears on screen and explains how a language barrier had happened between her boyfriend, claiming she asked for currency and he said "pounds" before the clip of an audience face palming appears.

It honestly wasn't that funny, but you end up cackling really hard at the sight. When you return to the food (thankfully not burnt), Sans is sitting at the table, occasionally showing you a vine that makes you laugh. 

You mix in the cheese, after straining the pasta, and grab two bowls. Sans puts his phone away before taking the remaining bowl and serving himself some of the macaroni and cheese. 

"never had this." He says, studying the cheese that is dripping from his fork.

"It's called macaroni and cheese. It's my favorite." You say, blowing softly on the forkful and sticking it in your mouth. "I'd tell you a few puns about it, but they're really  _cheesy._ " You say. 

And that's how you end up staying awake until 12, exchanging puns, memes, and eating all the macaroni & cheese and ice cream you could - with Sans at your side.

When you finally climb into bed, shouting one last pun, you feel weariness drag you down. You pull the covers over yourself, then hear shuffling, before two dim pinpricks of light are staring at you.

"uh, you want me to sleep on the couch or do you have another room, or..?" You think about this. The only other bedroom you have is for when Bayley stays over, and she has a lot of pink stuff... 

"You can sleep in the guest room, which is left of this room before the other bathroom, but it's.. trashy.. and there's probably some of my friend's- Bayley's stuff in there." You say.

"oh. ok. 'nite." He says. You don't hear him leave until you murmur a goodbye, your bedroom door clicking shut.

You could really get used to this, you think.

Keyword- _could._


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Nora have unexpected cuddles which become something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops this chapter has really graphic gore and terror whoopsie dasies i'd be careful if i were u yenno  
>  _ **also this means nightmare** and this means dream/song/thought_
> 
> lots of FLUFF because we need fluff, dont we :3?? not but there's some angst that's covered by fluff again so  
> also i might start doing chapt summaries? maybe.

You wish you could say your dreams were as good as the day had been, but.. that wasn't the case.

* * *

_**The sound of shattering glass echoed through the alleyway. "Noah, go back, take Rosa." You said. Noah, three years younger than you at the time being 13, nodded and turned around, with Rosa, his twin, by his side.** _

_**"Guys, stop!" Kade yelled after them. "They're that way too!" His voice was panicked.** _

_**A figure sprinted forward, smashing a bottle on Kade's head. Two more cloaked people grabbed his feet and dragged him away.** _

_**"KADE! N-NO!" You reached out, then flinched at the shrieks of Rosa. You spun around. Noah was standing over Rosa, who was hysterically sobbing.** _

_**"S-stop! Don't hurt her!" He said, his voice tinged with fear. A deep chuckle sounded and a loud 'bang' was heard.** _

_**Noah dropped to his knees, a dark liquid spluttering from his head. He fell forwards with a loud thud. Rosa was hoisted up into someone's, rather gentle, grip, and taken away. Someone grabbed your neck, but quickly let go as blaring lights and sirens sounded. "Nora! Help me!!" Rosa screamed.** _

_**"Fuck! Fall back! Fall back!" They scurried off, leaving you sobbing and screaming over Noah's body. Kade was dead, Rosa was taken, Nora was assassinated, what could be worse..?** _

_**A tall figure raced over to Noah, whimpering loudly. "Noah! Why!" Your mother cried. She looked up at you. Through the darkness of the alley, you could see pain, betrayal, and hatred in her gaze. "You! You did this! You could have saved them!" She backed away from you, tears running from her sockets.** _

_**"It's all your fault, Nora!"** _

* * *

You thrashed, squeezing your eyes shut as tears spilled freely. You whimpered as you felt hands try to hold you still.

"nora! wake up!" A desperate, deep voice sounded. You gasped and opened your eyes, tears still flowing from your sockets. Sans was leaned over you, eye lights drenched in worry.

"S-Sans?" You whimpered.

"it's just me. you're okay." He murmured, rubbing your shoulders in an attempt to calm you. You wiped your eyes, catching your breath.

"I'm sorry.." You mumble miserably.

"hey, hey it's okay. not your fault. not your fault." He crawled off of you. Wait, _off of you_? You must have been really spooked in your dream.. "do you wanna talk about it?" You looked out the window. It was dark; the clock read 5:21.

"No.." You whispered. He was running his hand over your scalp soothingly.

"oh." He paused, then crawled off your bed. You heard the sound of bone against bone as he ran his hand over his cranium. "do you need anything..?"

You thought about this, running your hand over your eyes in an attempt to dry up the last of your tears. A thought struck you. _Would it be weird if he slept in here? That would be weird. Oh god, Undyne would ship us so hard. Should I ask him? Doesn't he have nightmares too?_ Your brain and vocal chords beat you to the decision. "Stay?"

"w-what?" You could see a faint, glowing blue where his cheeks were. 

"Woah, not like that. I just.. please?" Your cheeks started to dust pink as well.

He sat there, dumbfounded for a moment, before crawling into bed beside you. He was a respectable distance away, which you thanked him for. You felt your SOUL beating faster, though. You simply pushed the feeling off and rubbed your eyes. It was awkward, him laying there beside you silently, but you eventually fell asleep as he did. Thankfully, you slept dreamlessly that night.

****************

Sans awoke to the sound of you loudly sobbing. He thought it would pass, but when he heard you say "N-No," he jumped out of bed as ran to your room.

When he creaked the door open, he found you disturbing the covers by constantly flipping over, tears running down your face as you whispered pleas.

He was by your side instantly, shaking your shoulder, when you turned towards him and grasped the sheets. After about 2 minutes of him trying to wake you, he crawled over you and called your name.

"nora! nora, please wake up!" when you didn't budge, he called louder. "nora! wake up!"

You blinked open your eyes, wide with fear that turned into recognition, the guilt.

"S-Sans?" 

"it's just me, you're okay." He urged his voice to sound reassuring. He did what he'd seen Undyne do to Alphys once when she had a panic attack and rubbing your shoulders comfortingly.

"I'm sorry.." You wiped your eyes.

"hey, hey it's okay. not your fault. not your fault." He murmured in a calming way, moving to the space to the side of you. "do you want to talk about it?" He assumed it might make you feel better if you told him your fears. Maybe he could help.

He saw you glance over- to check the time, presumably- and then you whispered a simple reply. "No.." He had been running his hand over your head but stopped then.

"oh." Welp, there goes his plans to help. He jumped off the bed and ran his bony hand over the top of his skull, scratching his neck. Maybe he could still help. "do you need anything..?"

He saw you pause for a moment, before quietly saying, "Stay?"

At the word, he felt his cheeks glow and become cold. "w-what?" 

"Woah, not like that." You quickly said. "I just.. please?" He could faintly see the pink tint that stained your face. 

He mulled over his options but slithered under the blankets after a moment. He wasn't sure why you wanted him to stay in bed with him- god, it sounded so _wrong_ that way- so he stayed on one side of the bed whereas you weren't too close. His mind was swimming with thoughts (he had to force the dirty ones away for both of your sakes), but when he heard your soft snoring he flipped over to look at you, thoughts cleared. You looked so.. _peaceful._ It was nothing like the you he'd seen when he first entered the room. he could feel you breathing evenly, and lulled to sleep soon enough. His rest was, for once, free of both dreams and nightmares; it was filled with a peaceful tranquility he could only describe as calm yet empty.

* * *

When he woke up, with the clock reading 10:34, he was _much_ closer to you than intended. You had, somehow, latched onto his left clavicle with one hand, while your other was _inside_ his ribcage, resting atop his spine. In turn, he had his arm under your head and another over your back. Your face was nuzzled into his sternum, to top it off. You were still asleep, so he figured he might be able to ease out of the awkward situation. He inched backward, but that led to you not only rubbing against his spine- which led to him suppressing a groan- but you also you tugging him closer, mumbling something incoherent.

He gave up after another attempt, one for the fact that your grip was _strong_ and two because he didn't want to wake you up in the process. He placed his arm back over your side and sighed, defeated. If you were to wake up he didn't want to seem like he'd not attempted to escape, so, naturally, tried to go to sleep. Well, tried. The feeling of you occasionally clutching his clavicle or scratching his vertebrae shot waves of pleasure through him, electing a quiet moan from him (which made the situation way more uncomfortable). He wriggled in a last attempt to escape when you suddenly fluttered your eyes open, then trailed your gaze down to your hands. You quickly loosened your grip and backed away.

"S-shit, I-" "i swear i-" You both started to explain at once, then paused for each other. Eventually, you both ended up laughing in an awkward yet comfortable atmosphere. When you both stopped it immediately became awkward again, especially since Sans wasn't wearing a shirt- he'd taken it off and forgot to put it on in his attempt to comfort you earlier that day. 

"Umm.. food?" You suggested. Sans let out a chuckle at the icebreaker.

"sure. that mac and cheese was good, did we finish it?" You bit your lip in silent thought.

"I dunno. I'm gonna find out, though." You walked out of the room, running your hand over your messy hair. He got up to follow, his shirt long forgotten, and ended up in the kitchen. You were studying the fridge, then shook your head. "Nope. We ate it all." You studied the fridge again, then sighed and walked over to the cabinets. You pulled out a few packs of oatmeal, then set to work. Sans sat on one of the dining chairs, reaching for his phone. Why he'd left it on the dining table he doesn't know, but he had a few texts from Undyne. _yay._

*SANS  
*HOW DID YOUR SLEEPOVER GO? ;)  
*DESCRIBE THE DANCE YOU HAD WITH NORA

He felt his cheeks chill and he quickly replied.

-undyne we slept in different rooms

She replied immediately.

*Mhmm, sure. I bet you two got all cuddly in her bed ;) ;)

-oh my god  
-no. we did not.

You walked over with a bowl of oatmeal and he shut his phone off, placing it on the table again. "I _oat_ it to you." You said, a smug grin plastered on your face. The phone buzzed a few times, but Sans ignored it

"you can thank _meal_ you want later, then." He retorted.

"Hmm." You thought, sitting down across from him. "Will you _grain_ from it?"

"well, i _groat_ so." He looked down at his food, which was steaming oatmeal with strawberries and peaches flavored into it.

"Then you've pulled the last _straw._ It happens _berry_ often." You took a bite.

"i can't be _peach_ you." Sans chuckled, taking a bite. Of course, he tilted his head down so you wouldn't see the tongue he'd manifested. Nobody had seen it, and he wanted to keep it that way, although..

"Don't you have work tomorrow?" You asked, cocking a brow.

"nah. thanksgiving break." Sans countered.

You looked confused, then a look of realization hit you. "I forgot about Thanksgiving."

Sans took another bite of the food. "what is it?"

You took another bite, a thoughtful look in your eye. "It's like, a day where everyone eats a ton of food." You paused, smiling. "A skeleton." Sans almost choked on his food. When he managed to get the bite down his metaphorical throat, you were washing your bowl out and humming a tune. Your hips swayed slightly to the beat of the tune, and Sans got up to wash his bowl "I'll wash it." He looks at your face.

"are you sure? i mean, i can wash it if-" You interrupted him.

"I've got it, Sans, what kind of host would I be if I made you wash it?" You smirked at his sudden loss for words. "You can go chill on my couch and turn the TV on, or go home. It's your pick." You shrugged, and continued washing. Reluctantly, Sans left to sit on the couch and flickered the TV on. The first show that came on was Bo Burnham, making jokes in an auditorium. Sans decided to stay watching it.

By the time you'd come to sit down next to him on the couch, which was rather small, Sans' thoughts had been devoted to this morning. He remembered the way you'd latched onto his clavicle, rubbing his spine lightly. His cheeks stained a brilliant blue at the sudden thoughts. He felt you lean onto his shoulder, where he subconsciously laid his arm around your shoulders. Had he been thinking about what he was doing, Sans would be awkwardly embarrassed.

A double knock sounded on the door. "who's there?" "Who's there?" Sans and Nora said as one, sharing an amused glance.

The person paused. They seemed to whisper something, and then a muffled voice sounded. "Wooden shoe," Sans recalled the joke and voice as familiar, but couldn't figure out who it was.

"wooden shoe who?" You let Sans take over. 

Undyne's excited voice said, quite clearly, "Wooden shoe like to guess?" The door then swung open. two broad figures standing in the doorway.

*****************

Bayley shut the door of Toriel's house with practiced precision. Undyne and Alphys followed her outside shortly after, Undyne approaching.

"Hey, punk! You're like, Nora's best friend, right?" She asked, smile bright and genuine still.

"Mhmm. Why?" Bayley tilted her head.

"Well.. Can I have her address?" Undyne seems a bit nervous.

"...why?" Bayley's brows furrow.

"Well, I think Nora and Sans are a thing? Maybe? So I want to ask her about it..?" Undyne's smile is slightly apologetic.

Bayley mulls over that thought, then smirks. "You know what? I think so too. Mind if I tag along?"

"That would be RAD!" Undyne does a happy jump.

"Alright. How about we meet at the park a little way away from hers and meet there at 2 tomorrow?" Bayley suggests, grabbing her phone out. "Also, phone number."

"Sounds good, and here." Undyne takes her phone from her pocket and they switch tapping the phone. Undyne sends her own phone a message, just in case.

-Ayy

Bayley sends a text back, that happens to be your address. "See you then." She winks, and Undyne returns it, giggling. Today was going to be a long day. 

* * *

Bayley's red car pulls into the park's lot. A few kids are there playing. She steps out and checks the time. 2:03. Perfect. She slams the car's rather large door shut, locking it, and waddles over to an empty bench. As far as she can tell, her fishy friend hasn't arrived, but that thought is smothered as a green car pulls up beside hers. She can see, inside, Undyne pulled the key out. Bayley jumps up to meet her, and as soon as she is in earshot Undyne spots her. "Hey, nerd! You ready?" A mischievous glint reflected in her eye.

"You bet! Let's go." Bayley trotted off, with Undyne jogging behind. Not even 10 minutes later, Undyne knocked on the door. 

Rather than one, two voices replied. one was deep and laden with sleep, while the other was quite clearly Nora. "Who's there?" "who's there?"

Undyne shared a glance with Bayley, excitement and knowing in their eyes. "Say wooden shoe," Undyne whispered.

"Wooden shoe."

"wooden shoe who?" Bayley recognized this voice as Sans.

"Wooden shoe like to guess?" Undyne clasped the door's handle and swung it open, revealing the two figures on the couch.

Bayley gasped in excitement as she saw their position. Sans was shirtless on the couch, blue tinting his cheekbones, with his arm snugly wrapped around Nora's shoulder. You had your head leaned into his shoulder, seeming content. Your face was slightly red, gaze half lidded as Sans was. She couldn't help the thought.. _Had they really.._

"I was right! You two _are_ dating!" Undyne cackled. Sans seemed to remember where he was and quickly removed his arm from behind you, his face becoming a deep blue. 

You sat up quickly, inching away slightly, a red burning your face. "N-no we're not!" Sans was already covering his face with his hood. He stood up and quickly walked into Bayley's "room."

"Sure, sure. What's he doing in my room, anyway?" Bayley asked, quizzical.

"1: It's technically not your room. 2: I don't know, ask him. 3: We really.. aren't?" You replied.

"Soo why were you all snuggle snuggle on the couch, hmm?" Undyne smirked.

"I- We-" You seemed lost for words. "Hnnn.." You covered your face with your legs, hugging them. "Why me?"

*****************

San marched to the spare room he'd been in. He snatched his shirt up and put it on quickly, images running through his head. He had been _holding_ you. He walked up to the mirror in the, rather sparkly, room, and sighed. _okay, sans, you like her. no hiding it now. why not ask her out? it's not that hard. she trusts you, you've slept with her for god's sake!_ He started sweating anxiously, all background noises suppressed.

Where would he go? Grillby _was_ building a bar down from Top it Off.. Maybe he could go stargazing. No.. no..

Then the perfect place came to mind. He mentally marked it down and opened the door, where you were paused mid-knock.

"Go ahead, do it!" Bayley whispered. Undyne looked on smugly.

"U-um.. Sans, do you.." You hesitated, clearly nervous.

"want to go on a date? sure." Sans finished. His mind was screaming at him and his SOUL was flaring in protest. It took his all to keep his voice calm.

"W-what? I was gonna as if you wanted noods! Like noodles?" You said, but Sans was already gone.

He landed in his bedroom, mind racing. You didn't like him. He had left as soon as your voice contoured into shock and said, 'what?' He had been tricked by himself. His confidence had ruined him. He crumpled onto his bed, shaking.

He had found a light to make him happy. To see clear. To understand the want to live.

..and he'd extinguished that same source.

He held his head between his legs, in a ball on his mattress. Ahaha. He fucked up. Fluorescent blue drops splashed onto his clothing, soaking him quickly. His mind spun the world around him nothing more than a distraction.

He'd never wanted a reset so badly before.

****************

Your mind raced. Sans had asked you out. So.. he liked you.. back?

Your SOUL felt a tug in a direction that must have been where he'd gone. You stood, dumbfounded in front of where he'd once been. Undyne and Bayley's voices became background noise as a new feeling flowed into your very culmination. You felt warmth blossom into you, spreading like paint in water. Vines of happiness crawled over your limbs, soothing any aches and pains from before.

Suddenly, something slashed through those vines. Your SOUL's sudden warmth faded into despair. 

..but it wasn't yours. You were still happy, but something.. was falling apart.

You pulled your phone and hit 'call' under 'snas.' You could hear a ringtone in the kitchen, and you pushed past Undyne to get to it. It was Sans' phone. He'd left it in his rouge escape. You picked it up, hitting decline. You decided to keep it until he came back. You felt a hand on your shoulder, and, whirling around, it was Undyne.

"I can't believe he asked you!" She looked so happy. "Can I tell Paps?" You stared at her, dumbfounded. you suddenly felt the despair turn into a fake happiness for a moment. 

..then it got worse.

"Nora?" Undyne placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Oh, y-yeah, sure. Go ahead!" She quickly lifted her hand off in excitement and dialed Papyrus with her own phone.

"Hey, Pap!" Undyne shared a glance with Bayley as she put the phone on speaker

"U-UNDYNE! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH SANS!" You felt your SOUL sink. A faint sob ringed through the phone.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no oh no.." You whispered, darting past the pair.

"What do you mean?" Undyne's voice faded out as you jumped into your own car. _Sans_ had fixed it.

..he really did like you.

You quickly backed up, Bayley waving desperately. She was saying something you weren't sure what. You backed up, noticing the police tape finally gone, and drove off. You could feel Sans' phone vibrating, but took no time to look at it. As you drove down the roads that you'd only gone down twice before, thoughts of Sans' behavior surfaced.

The way he would be disappointed when you left a room he was in.

How he'd slept next to you on the couch when he could have been by Papyrus.

How he had not been mad when he found out about Undertale, because it was _you_ who told him.

The trip to their house had never seemed to drag on. It felt like hours whereas it had only been 4 minutes. You hopped out of the car and knocked on the front door.

"NYEH? HOLD ON, UNDYNE, SOMEONE IS HERE!" Footsteps sounded down their stairs and the door opened. 

"Hi Papyrus, where is Sans?" You asked quickly. The regret and despair you'd felt suddenly refreshed and embedded itself deeper.

"His Room," Papyrus said in a lower tone. "He.. Is Not Feeling Well." You nodded quickly, forcing yourself past him and up the stairs.

"S-Sans," You were suddenly at loss for words. "Nothing is your fault, okay! I.. I do like you! Please don't be mad at yourself.." You rested your forehead his door. The guilt you had felt became deeper. You realized..

Those were Sans' feelings. And you felt them.

"nora.." His voice was rough from the breakdown. You heard shuffling. Papyrus was outside, supposedly, because his voice was muffled. The door opened and Sans stood there miserably, eyes dim. Fresh tears stained his cheeks and he no longer held a smile. You'd never seen him so.. sad.. You rushed forward, hugging him tight. His hands patted your back before finding a grip and pulling you closer. "i'm sorry." He whispered, voice quivering. You could feel his tears wet on your shoulder and neck, but you were focused on other things.

"Sans, it's not your fault." You murmured. You could feel a fresh wave of tears soak you. "You are important. You are needed. You are _loved_.." His grip tightened. The swirling darkness in his and your SOUL turned into that blossom happiness you'd felt earlier, and the guilt he'd just felt was replaced by over joyous happiness and disbelief.

"i.. i thought.." His voice cracked. The tears almost stopped, then did, but he didn't let go or loosen his grip on you.

"It's okay, Sans. It's okay." He pulled you impossibly closer before releasing you.

Before you knew what was happening, you felt bone against your lips. You were confused but opened your eyes, and..

Oh.

His version of a kiss.

You didn't know what to do, so you sat there, arms loosely wrapped around him until he pulled away. When he saw your bewildered look, he started to backpedal.

"nora, i-" You pulled him in for another kiss.

You'd never known what true happiness felt like until now.

And, apparently, he didn't either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's a thought: a reed burning nora's face.  
> i had a typo.
> 
> :P  
> also wOW that escalated quickly


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go Christmas shopping with a few of your friends, but in the end it turns into a time-twisting disaster that leads to not one, but _six_ deaths.  
>  Literally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  so. this update schedule is getting out of hand  
> my plan: atleast two a week, aim for five a week, try for seven a week.  
> there's not gonna be a definate plan for some time, but.. ye.  
> anyways! story. read.
> 
> also yes the phrase dance is what i will use.  
> my friends read this ok  
> and parents  
> so..  
> OKAY I LOVE YOU HERE IS A LONG CHAPTER

The next month flew by. News of your relationship with Sans spread through your friends, and, somehow, other people. Some strangers would bless you with hope for the future while others.. Well, they weren't too happy about the monsters in general. You did your best to tolerate them, and it worked. Not perfectly, but well enough.

The bar that was down the street from Top it Off was actually Grillby's, and you'd come to eat there with Sans a few time. Yes, you did rush ahead and take his regular spot so he would sit on the whoopee cushion you knew would be there. "Get dunked on!" You'd whispered very flatly into his ear(?). You both ended up laughing.

Thanksgiving rolled around. You ended up cooking a quiche with Sans and some rice crispies to serve at Toriel's, which everyone but Papyrus ate.

You started playing guitar with Sans more, which got you more money. You used it to save up for the Christmas gifts you were planning on getting.

You'd taught Papyrus a better way to make spaghetti, which he thought was fantastic.

You'd become great friends with Alphys and watched anime with her and Undyne every week or two.

Sans had taken you out to get pizza and watch a meteor shower on Mount Ebott for the date he'd- or maybe you?- asked you to go on.

You'd given up your food-stand-job to work as a waitress at a comedy diner. You weren't surprised to find that Sans occasionally appeared up on the small stage and made jokes, while you watched on. 

Sans had gotten confident enough to sleep over at your place- in Bayley's room- more often, and sometimes one or the other would have a nightmare. The other would sleep in the same bed if they were both comfortable with it.

Oh, and you hadn't  _danced,_ as Undyne calls it, with Sans. He had revealed that he was, indeed, asexual, as were you, which made things slightly less tense around each other. This didn't phase Undyne, though, and she kept on teasing.

Overall, the past few weeks had been nice.

Today, you were supposed to be shopping with Alphys, Undyne, and Mettaton- did you mention meeting him?- for Christmas gifts. You had firmly established that, no, you did  _not_ want to wear a dress, or makeup, or anything pink, to Mettaton. As he was explaining how a 'beautiful darling' like you should wear beautiful clothing, you'd picked a ketchup packet out and slurped it, loudly, in his face. The face of utter disgust was enough for you to look smug and him to stop talking, which sent both Undyne and Alphys into giggles.

He stalked in front of the little group you were in before falling back to chat again.

"My, darling, you have such  _strange_ eyes!" He was looking at them with curiosity, and you stopped, frozen. 

"..Shit." You whispered. "I.. I left them in for like a month.." You had forgotten about your lenses far too long ago.

"What?" Mettaton cocks a brow.

"These.. these lenses make my eyes look this way. I have green eyes, not.." You look at a mirror on the hall. Yep, still have them in.

"I c-can make some that n-never need to be c-cleaned if you want? You won't ever have to t-take them out." Alphys offers.

You blink at her. "That would be amazing, Alphys! You should add that to my Christmas gifts. You smile at her. You make a mental note to take the lenses out at home.

Shortly after, everyone wanders away to grab Christmas gifts. They had all agreed to not stick together and to meet back up at the mall center by around 2.

Mettaton wandered away to the clothing section instantly, Undyne and Alphys heading somewhere incoherent. You decided to head towards the crafts section.

You wanted every gift to be very, very special. 

* * *

You wandered back towards the mall center, checking the time again. 1:58. Perfect. You stepped past some hedges and leaned against a column, waiting. While you did so, you made sure you had something for everyone.

Toriel, Frisk, Flowey, Papyrus, Undyne, Asgore (You'd seen him in Toriel's house. They were quite.. cuddly, all of the sudden.), Alphys, Bayley, Mettaton, and, finally, Sans. Oh, his was going to be hard to make.You heard the excited squeals of Alphys and Undyne, as well as the loud clicking from Mettaton. They were all carrying a load of bags, as were you.

"Alright, we set to go?" You asked, stuffing the ketchup packet you'd been eating back into your pocket.

"Yep," all three said simultaneously, sharing a glance. After that, they giggled, then headed towards their cars. You told them goodbye and leaned against your car, grabbing your phone from your pocket. Nothing. You sighed and started walking towards a fast food joint next to the mall. You  _were_ pretty hungry, and a burger could  _really_ help curb that appetite of yours.

You made your way past an alley, then another, but when you passed another, someone grabbed your arm. They pulled you into the alleyway and you felt a rag come up over your mouth. You tried to gasp for air but passed out because of the chemicals in the rag. A wave of nausea passed over you, and you were walking past the _same_ alleyway again-  _what?_ The man grabbed your hand again. You tried to scream for help, but his hand covered your mouth. You held your breath this time. You knew what would happen if you inhaled that stuff. Eventually, though, you tried to breathe and the world went spinning black. Nausea succumbed you again. The next thing you knew, you were walking past the alleyway  _again,_ but you avoided it this time. You were really confused as to what had happened, but.. didn't question it.

You stepped into the restaurant- a pizza place- and started to order something when you got a text. Or.. a few.

You felt Sans' emotions turn into rage, hatred, love and unbearable guilt. Misery coated your soul, despair loitering alongside it.

*are you okay?  
*please tell me you're alive  
*fuck, please say something  
*i've tried twice

-what? im fine, sans  
-um, but i walked past an alleyway three times..   
-and kinda passed out twice. idk whats happening..  
-can i talk to you about it over pizza?

*yes, yes please i need to see your face 

You sent him the address of where you were and sat down. Moments later he ran into the store, looking around frantically, and when he saw you, ran over to give you the tightest hug you'd ever felt.

"god, babe, they.. they.." He choked on his own words, shaking profusely. "i watched you die.." He whispered nuzzling into the nape of your neck. 

"Sans.. Wait, I- Frisk.." You started.

"Number 183!" That was your call. You wriggled out of Sans' grip, and he let go, reluctantly, before grabbing the boxes of pizza. You sat down next to Sans in the booth and looked over at him questioningly. 

"Did.. did you force  _two_ loads?" 

He nodded slowly, still trembling. He pulled an arm around your shoulders and you leaned your head onto his shoulder. "What.. happened..?"

He gulped, even though it wasn't necessary, and began. 

****************

Sans called your cell again. He'd been texting you and calling for a long time now. He was pacing outside of your car. "this better be a damn prank." He glanced over to a pizza joint. Maybe he could calm down over some food. He slowly walked over there, still calling, when he heard it. 

Your cell.

In an alley.

A dark alley.

His phone dropped from his hand and he ran into the crevice, screaming. 

"nora! nora, where are you?"

"Your doll? Heh.. she's ours now." A rough, deep voice sounded. He spun around. Three tall, broody figures stalked forward from another alley. There was another, smaller, figure, which looked like it was being dragged by the tallest man. As they god closer, he saw..

It was you.

Your were mumbling softly, sleeping, with tears running down your cheeks. The first man pulled a gun and pressed it against your ear. 

"You have twenty-four hours to-"

It all happened so fast.

Sans summoned an array of bones and several blasters as soon as he saw the look of pain on your face, projecting towards the three men. 

A shot.

Blood.

Blue.

Screams.

Three dead men fell before him.

One dead girl lay in his trembling hands.

Sirens.

EXP. and LV.

ATK.

He teleported away, with you in his hands, in an attempt to escape. He found himself in Toriel's living room, sobbing hysterically.

Frisk opened their door to see what was going on but and froze. Their hands were fast.

 **What happened- No, Sans, I'm not loading.** She seemed to pick up on his thoughts.

"fuck, please frisk. i can't.." He started openly sobbing. Tears rolling down his face.

**Sans, we both made a promise. How would d- Asgore feel about this? Flowey?**

"fuck them! i just.. i lost her.. nora.. god, fuck, please frisk." 

**No.**

"heh.." He looked up to Frisk, one blue, burning eye, and another void-filled socket. Tears were still flowing freely from his eyes, and he was shaking profusely.

"guess i'll have to force one." Frisk's SOUL was pulled free. Sans looked down at your body, causing a fresh wave of tears to fall to the floor. "i really don't want to, frisk. just load. please.." Sans, after a moment of hesitation, said.

 **You don't have to do this-** She signed frantically, a bit of fear shown on her face.

"oh but i do, frisk," he laughed, looking at his blood-soaked phalanges. "i do, if you won't," he whispered.

 

 He summoned his first attack, which Frisk got mildly hurt by. By this time, you could hear Toriel shuffling in her room.

 **Sans, you don't need her to be happy!** Desperation blurred her hands. 

This enraged him. "yes, i DO!" He summoned another attack- not in order. Frisk wasn't expecting it, and, well, died. The sickening feeling of leveling up roused through his culmination.

Toriel rushed out of her room, then paused, horrified. "Sans..! How COULD YOU!" She took a step back, then pulled his SOUL free.

"you really don't want to do that." He laughed. Toriel checked him. 

"Oh, really?" She screamed, voice laden with regret and hatred. "You're fucking level ONE!" She threw flames at him, in which he dodged. "H-how.."

"tori, you don't want to." Sans shrugged, remorse thick. He felt insane. He asked himself why he was doing this.. but.. he'd do anything for you. That's what he told you.

Sans SPARED Toriel.

"No. You.. killed her.." She whispered. She threw more attacks, but he dodged them all. "You shouldn't be able to dodge!" She openly wept, tears clogging in her fur.

"guess i'll have to take you out too, then." He summoned three blasters. "still, your call."

"Sans.. where.." He closed his fist, charging the beams. Toriel tried to move, but she was stuck in place. "S-Sans-"

Dust.

EXP.

Nausea.

* * *

 

He found himself asleep in his room. The sick feeling of EXP and LV vanished and was replaced by weariness.

He teleported to the alley, but you were already struggling. You went limp from the chloroform and were dragged away by the guy.

"hey!" Sans rushed forward, stumbling from the lack of sleep. One of the men shouted something and tossed you into the hands of someone else.

A shot.

Blood.

Blue.

Screams.

Three dead men fell before him.

One dead girl lay in his trembling hands.

Sirens.

EXP. and LV.

ATK.

He teleported to Frisk again.

"please.." She nodded, then dissipated. Sans saw the void for a moment. The dark, spiraling void.

Nausea.

Weariness.

He was in front of the alley again, but you weren't there. He quickly pulled his phone out, tears still running.

-are you okay?  
-please tell me you're alive  
-fuck, please say something  
-i've tried twice

*what? im fine, sans  
*um, but i walked past an alleyway three times..   
*and kinda passed out twice. idk whats happening..  
*can i talk to you about it over pizza?

-yes, yes please i need to see your face 

His SOUL thrummed in despair as he rushed into the pizza place. You were there, looking at him in confusion and shock. Relief thrummed through him in thick pulses, drowning out the guilt and hatred. He fought back the urge to tackle you as he pulled you close. He realized, then, that he  _needs_ you.. and he wasn't sure why. He could feel your SOUL wracked with confusion, awareness, and 

*****************

"now, tell me what _you_ remember." He bit a slice of pepperoni pizza, which was dripping in ketchup. You both agreed ketchup was pretty good on pizza.

"Well, I was walking past that alley, and someone grabbed me. I tried to scream, but I couldn't, then I needed air, so... well, I passed out because of that stuff in the rag, so.. I felt sick, and then, a few seconds later, I was walking past the same alley. It was really weird. The guy grabbed me again, but I didn't scream and tried not to breathe. So I struggled. I think I saw you before I passed out, and you said something like 'hey' I think..? Then I was about to walk past the alley after feeling sick again, but I walked around it instead. And now I'm here." You explained.

"so.. you remember.." You made a 'hmm' sound, eating the last slice of pizza. "you remember the resets!" He seemed a bit excited. "well, ever since you met me, i guess."

"Hmm, I guess so." You placed your pizza crust back in the box. "Can we go home? I'm suddenly feeling very tired." You yawned. 

"yes and same." He grabbed the pizza box and trashed it, taking your hand. 

"Oh, um, can you not inspect the bags in the back of the car? Those are the Christmas present's stuff." Sans laughed a bit and nodded. He was still shaking slightly, so you wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer. "I'm fine now, baby. Look, I'm here." You murmured, nuzzling his shoulder.

"i know, i know, it's just.." He sighed, leaning into you.

"C'mon, let's go and watch a movie or something. Get our minds off this." You started walking towards your car again, holding his bony hand against yours. You crawled into the driver's seat and he went around to sit in the passengers. You smiled at him, happy to have him in your presence. You felt his darker emotions dissipate and he gave a genuine smile towards you.

He didn't take his eyes off of you the entire ride home.

* * *

 

You clicked the 'play' button, leaning into Sans' chest. You were watching Harry Potter with him since he hadn't seen it yet, which honestly surprised you. Sans was sprawled out on the couch with you lying on top of him, blankets draped over the duo. He held your waist and had his chin placed on your head, and you could agree that this was probably the most comfortable position you'd ever been in. You could feel his magic buzzing beneath you, which was probably him summoning a torso for you to lay on. 

The movie was fascinating, yes, but what you found more distracting was your thoughts. Sans was watching with interest, his eyes bright. You'd seen the movie a ton of times, so instead you mulled over why you could feel Sans' emotions.

There was a possibility that you were related, but you shook that off because he was a monster. You were a human. So.. Could he feel your emotions? You certainly didn't doubt it. He'd comforted you at random times when you felt shocked or sad. Before you could process the other possibility, you fell asleep. Right in Sans' arms. T,to be honest. it was probably one of the best naps you'd ever had.

* * *

*Hey Nora   
*Wanna go to Top it Off?

-yeah sure, if i can bring sans  
-he had a rough day :T

*Oh really ;)?

-you're so dirty :P

You found yourself walking down to the bar by Sans and Bayley. You all had a weird day, but you didn't think Bayley knew about the resets. You nor Sans mentioned them to her- or anyone, for that matter.

"So how were you guy's day?" Bayley asked, nudging you mischievously.

"Well, I went shopping for Christmas and ate some pizza for lunch with Sans. Then we watched a movie together." You said, looking at said skeleton. You saw his smile twitch very, very slightly in response. You could feel the relief he felt pulsing through you. Silent thanks, you thought,

"i slept in, ate pizza and watched a movie. now im here." He shrugged.

"I feel like you're leaving something out." Bayley sing-songed.

"Bayley we didn't okay!" You said, frustrated. Sans looked on in confusion. "She may think we," you coughed, "danced."

A brilliant blue clouded Sans' face, and he turned away. "nope." You felt your own cheeks burn, which emitted laughter from Bayley.

"Whatever. It's a matter of time." She pushed the doors to Top it Off open, leading the way. You took your spot and Sans sat to the right of you, Bayley on the left.

 **Hello Nora, Sans, Bayley.** You translated for Bayley.  **What would you like to order?** Levi grabbed three mugs.

"Can I just have a budlight?" Bayley asked. Levi nodded and poured her cup. He was reaching for the ketchup when Sans rejected.

"um, can i actually have that special that nora always gets?"

"Me too." You asked. Levi nodded in a curt manner and poured the two glasses.

 **Do you plan on getting any more drinks?** Bayley shook her head, but you and Sans nodded.  **Okay, Bayley, that is $2.45.** You told her the price and the fished her pocket for her wallet. When she dragged it out, she gave exact change, then took another swig of her drink. On your now empty stomach, the alcohol took effect quickly. Not ten minutes later, your words were slurring slightly. You don't think Sans ever saw you drunk before, so he looked really delighted.

"Sans, have you ever tried soap?" You asked, taking a sip of your drink.

"i don't think so." He grinned.

"Well, it tastes like sadness." You complained, leaning towards him.

"oh. what a soapy experience." Sans' words were starting to, very slightly, roll.

"You guys are gonna be so wasted by the end of tonight," Bayley commented. She was completely sober, looking on in wild amusement.

"hhh." Sans backed away from you. You were trying to grab one of his clavicles. "don't do it."

"Why?" You pouted, giving up. You slurred the 'y' embarrassingly long.

"be'cu i said so." He grinned in satisfaction.

"Oh." You grabbed your (third?) mug and ticked the little bell. Levi can over and refilled it, sketching something down. "Sans, what is your favorite color?" You asked, taking a sip of the strong drink.

"you." He replied, looking proud of his answer.

"Aww." You and Bayley said as one.

"My favorite color is  _you,_ then." You said, crossing your arms in contentment. 

"thanks, babe." Sans beamed at you. A long moment of silence stretched across your tiny group, staring into Sans' eyes.

"Ughh just kiss already!" Bayley whined.

"Wha-" You were interrupted by the feeling of Sans' summoned lips against yours. You felt his mouth part slightly, and, well.. things progressed from there.

When he pulled away, people at the bar were cheering, some looking on with disgust. Your face was suddenly a furnace, and you're pretty sure Sans' own was an icicle from the navy that stained him.

"I ship it _so hard,_ " Bayley whispered to you. You turned around and smacked her lightly on the face. "Ow. What was that for?" 

"Well, you scared me." You lied. You just wanted an excuse to slap her. When you turned back to Sans, his eyes were  _literally in the shapes of hearts._ It was so cute. Before you could get another look, he pulled you in for a longer, sweeter kiss.

Needless to say, you don't think you had any regrets that night.

..except for the hangover.

When you woke up in your bed beside Sans that morning, your head was pounding. You groaned, rolling over, but Sans mumbled something and pulled you tighter to him. Apparently, he didn't have a hangover- you could tell because of the heartsease he was in. His soul thrummed happily against yours. 

"Babe, lemme go." You trailed. You felt his SOUL stir.

"hmm?" He said sleepily.

"I need some aspirin for my hangover." You murmured.

"hangover?" He mumbled back.

"After humans drink bunches of alcohol we get hangovers. They make your head hurt really bad and your limbs ache." You struggled out of his grasp, and he let you out, demurringly.

You shuffled into the kitchen and started coffee, then grabbed your painkillers. You took two pills dry, then walked back into your room where Sans was putting his shirt on.

"d'ya got work today?" He mumbled, pulling the cloth over his cranium.

"Nope," you sat down next to him as he threaded his arms through his hoodie sleeves. "but I  _do_ plan on going to Toriel for some advice." You sigh, leaning back to collide with the bed.

"and what would those plans be?" Sans asked quizzically, laying down beside you.

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but I can kinda feel the emotions you feel. Maybe." You shrugged. "Always have, but I didn't really notice until.. well, before you kissed me for the first time." You blushed.

"oh. i've uh, felt it since i met ya, but just brushed it off." He laughed awkwardly. "but maybe it is a good idea to ask tori. she knows like, everything. probably."

You rolled over, off the bed, and grabbed your phone. You shot Toriel a text saying you'd come to her place around 2:30 and told Sans what time you'd be going.

To pass the time, you ended up making some macaroni and cheese, for once where neither of you added ketchup. After, you watched YouTube poops with Sans of cats sneezing, which was adorable mind you, before having Sans teleport you to Toriel's.

You knocked thrice on the large, mahogany door. It was a royal purple but didn't have the Delta Rune on it. You decided not to question it. It opened up and before you stood a very tall and furry goat mom.

"Come in, come in!" Toriel's melodious voice rang throughout your mind. Toriel gestured to the couch and both you and Sans walked over to sit down. Toriel sat in a chair she had pulled up and cleared her throat. "So, dear, what questions do you have?" Her smile was still sweet, a certain curiosity lingering in her eyes.

"Well.. ever since Sans and I ever started going out, I um.. I could feel his emotions. And he could feel mine for a long time." Sans nodded, rubbing your knuckles.

Toriel looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm.. you're not related.." She mumbled, searching her mind. She froze for a second.

"Um.. you guys haven't.." She looked to the fireplace. "..bonded, have you?"

You instantly replied. "No, no, of course not. It's um.. way too early for that." You looked over to Sans, an indescribable expression loitering on your face.

"Oh," Toriel whispered. She looked back at you and Sans with a stern yet soft expression on her face.

"so.." Sans made a 'so, so' gesture.

Toriel took what looked like a much-needed breath, and looked you both in the eye.

"You are soulmates."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in an unexpected turn of events, nora dies. wow.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _oh my gd im so sorry for not posting in like 3 days im so sorry_  
>  thanks goes to my good ol smol bean dogsat4 for unconciously helping me with remembering to put stuff into the chapter.  
> also youre my motivator.  
> thank.

You feel Sans slip an arm around your waist comfortingly, pulling closer.

"we're.. soul.. mates.." He says softly, turning up to you.

"Yeah." You breathe.

Toriel is looking at the two of you, worry, curiosity, and amusement littered upon her face.

"Is there.. something you need to  _do,_ or.. a problem..?" Toriel cocks her head a bit.

"n-no it's just.." You know what he's about to explain, and you stop him. 

"We won't turn out like that." You whisper. "Besides, they got back together." You murmur so Toriel can't hear.

"nora.. i.." Sans looks down. "um.. have we.. always been this way?" He looked up at her, eyes weary. 

"Soulmates are always drawn to another in one way or another, and the bond can never be broken unless an extremely powerful severs it.. but alas, I've never believed the concept of RESETS, so I do think you two are safe! Oh, and, if they spend too much time without each other.. perhaps fifteen years at most.. and hate each other." Toriel smiles warmly as if you hadn't just struck a weak spot's home. You feel Sans' grasp around your waist tighten immensely. 

"RESETS? Where did you read about that?" You say, keeping your voice level.

"An article from one of the old lab novels. It was roughly two hundred years old.." She trailed off.

"Hmm.. so, when we first met, I couldn't really feel Sans' emotions. Why?" Toriel perked up, then bit her lip thoughtfully.

"I do believe that this is because your SOULs have not yet understood that this other person- or monster- is your idealized person, yet once they recognize the other- typically through strong emotions being bundled into one of the persons-, they grasp the concept. It is when they feel great amounts of emotion that they need to level it out, thus flowing into the other person's SOUL. When you meet your soulmate, you find extra energy, yet do not notice it. This is because the person is creating larger amounts of their feelings, but they are leveled out when they combine with the other person's SOUL. Does that make sense? Oh dear, I hope so.."

You're looking on, lost, and Sans.. is being Sans. "so basically the body creates twice as much energy and shares it with the other person?" Toriel nodded, her eyes seeming to sparkle at the prospect of teaching. She was a teacher now, anyways. "okay. so.. what if one person dies, though?" Toriel frowned in thought for a moment.

"If the other soulmate does not move on and dwells on their past, it is possible they will be overcome with too much grief.. and.. they will perish." She seems to remember something but shakes it off. You can't help but think that she was thinking about Asgore.

Apparently, that news startled Sans. "um.. ok, cool. thanks, tori. i think we're gonna head home now." He stood up.

"Okay! See you two!" She winked before you felt the floor dissipate under you.

Once you land down, you're back home. You hum happily and step over to check the time. "Aw, crap." You whisper. Sans perks up, looking at you questioningly. "Gotta work in an hour." You groaned, falling onto the couch.

"s'ok. i came come with." He sat down next to you and you leaned against him.

"That would be nice." You nuzzled his neck bones and you felt him shiver. "S-shit, sorry. I forgot." You sighed.

"s'fine, babe." He smiled down at you. `"so.. about the soulmate thing. y'know how tori said one of the people could die if they let their emotions bottle up?" He mumbled, running a hand over your scalp. You replied with a 'mhm' and he continued. "well, when you were out before the first load, i told frisk i couldn't live without ya." He chuckled humorlessly, dropping his gaze to the floor. Something seemed to shimmer within him, causing his eye lights to dim."guess i was right." His voice was dark, you could tell he was trying to forget about your recent death.

You ran your hand over his arm soothingly- one of the less sensitive spots, as you thought of it- and he leaned into your touch. He seems to murmur something indecipherable before he passed out, rolling over. he must have been tired, waking up so "early." You took this as a hint to get into the shower, and did. Your thoughts wandered over to kittens sneezing and rolling around, meowing, as you washed yourself off.

* * *

You tapped in the order on the register, costing $8.23. The man gave you ten and walked off, not even attempting to grab the change. He sat down by his laptop and smiled at you. You put your hand to your bottom lip and pulled away, 'thank you' in sign language, before turning away. Sans was leaning onto the counter beside you, gaze flickering to you briefly. James had never shown up, but called in sick.

"hey, 15 'till your shift's up." He nodded to you. 

"Oh, really? I thought we'd only been here for four hours.." You trailed off as another customer walked up to you. "Hi! Welcome to Starbucks, how may I help you?"

"Could I get a strawberry vanilla muffin and tall spearmint frappuccino?" The girl asked rather quietly. She had her laptop pressed to her side and looked about 19 years old. Typical college setup. 

"Sure, that's $10.70," you say, grabbing a small cup and filling it up with the desired drink. You pull a muffin out of the heat tray, placing it on a plate. "To-go?" She shook her head.

You gave her the order and checked the time as she handed the money over. Ten minutes. "So, Mr. Skeleton." Sans looked at you lazily. "What plans do we have tonight?"

He looked at you thoughtfully for a moment, puckering his lips(?). "i think anime night actually. dunno why they haven't had one in a while." He shrugged. It was true- Alphys and Undyne hadn't invited anyone to their place for two weeks, which was strange. You guessed they had made a post about it somewhere on the UnderNet- which was still in use, actually. It was really just for anyone who had ever been underground, but Sans had bypassed the system (somehow, you guessed because he used to work with Gaster) and let you sign up.

"Sounds good. When is it?" They usually started at 11:30, which was thirty minutes after your end shift. 

"uh, i think it starts when your shifts end. they made it earlier i guess. " You checked the time. You had seven minutes left. 

The little bell noise startled you and you glanced up. An adult woman with her daughter, probably 8 years old, strolled in, looking around before they spotted Sans. They seemed to shrink back a bit, the little girl looking a tad bit scared. "Sweetie, it's okay! He's just a nice monster, he's okay." You hear the mother murmur quietly.

"B-but dad said monsters were evil!" The girl reached her arms upwards and the mother pulled her up to rest on her side. 

"Don't listen to dad, sweetie. I'm sure this skeleton his harmless." She smiled apologetically at both of you. Sans gave a lazy wave.

"heya." The little girl seems to calm down significantly at his friendly gesture.

"O-okay.." She seemed to shake a bit. 

"Sans, could you.." You gestured to another table. He looked at you longingly. "I'll be fine." You rolled your eyes. He simply chuckled and stood up, walking to another table. By this time the little girl was standing up normally again, looking after Sans a little fearfully.

"I'm sorry about that." The woman said, walking up with her child following. Seeing you, the kid relaxed. 

"Are monsters really harmless?" She asked. her mother gave her a stern look.

"Gracie, it's rude to ask such things!" You giggled a bit.

"It's fine. And, yes, they are. The only time they ever hurt anyone is in selfdefense, and even then they can't bring themselves to kill someone." You exaggerated the truth a bit, but Gracie looked on in delight.

"Wow. Is Mr. Skeleton nice too?" She asked, her eyes shining.

"Of course he is. He's my boyfriend actually," you chuckled nervously as Sans winked your way, "and to say the truth he's harmless." You told the kid. You knew that Sans was very much the opposite, but why worry the kid?

"Oh.." Gracie trailed off. "Hmm. Mom, can I get a chocolate smoothie please?" She asked. 

"Of course. And I'll have a pumpkin spice ice latte, grande. She will have tall." The woman explained. 

"Alright! that's going to be $16.05." you say, making their orders. You give each one their drinks and the woman pays you. You realize she leaves three dollars in your 'TIPS' jar before leading her daughter out of the store. You smile warmly at them, but it quickly vanishes as Gracie yelps, starting to fall. Her mother gasps and reaches down, but Gracie is floating mid-air, a blue aura around her. She's slowly turned upwards and her drink floats to her hand.

Sans walks over, kneeling in front of her. "you ok?"

Her eyes are wide as she watched the blue magic tendrils return to Sans' fingertips. "Y-you saved me.." She squeaked. Her mother is looking on with shock and relief, and other people are starting to look out over to the scene. Sans nods, smiling at her before she charges into him, wrapping him in a hug. "Thank you Mr. Skeleton!" She squeals as Sans returns the hug. Her face is mushed into his hood before she pulls away, beaming at him. Some of the commotion dies down as the little group stands up.

"it was nothing." He chuckled, his cheeks flushing a faint blue tint.

The mother of the child grasps Gracie's hand and she smiles apologetically and thankfully towards Sans. "Thanks." Sans' grin tilted upwards as they walked out, chattering excitedly about how Gracie had  _felt_ his magic over him, and the tingly sensation it left.

"i guess people are already falling for me." He shrugs as he walks up to you. You're putting your stuff up as your replacement, Josh, walks in. He shoots you finger guns when he sees Sans holding your hand, but scurries behind the counter as one a customer walks in. "usual?" Sans asks. You nod and start walking into the gender-neutral bathroom, Sans' hand entwined with your own. As soon as the door closes, he hugs you close. You feel like you're falling for a moment as the darkness blooms around you, then you tough the ground of your home. "send me a text when you get your pajamas on."

You nod as he flickers out of existence for a moment, sighing comfortably. You grab a pair of fuzzy rainbow socks that go over your ankle but below your knee, as well as some of your favorite gym shorts that reach down just above your knee. They're a pretty cyan color with orange stripes down the sides. 

You start rummaging through your shirts, digging into the back of the pile before you pull out a fuzzy black shirt. it appears to be inside out so you flip it around, and-

Oh.

It's your megalovania shirt. Bayley had given it to you about three months ago, on your birthday, and you hadn't worn it in.. a while, per say. You think about wearing it, but it was glow in the dark, and someone might question you...

You decide not to. Most of his friend probably didn't know about Sans' attacks and all. You bury it beneath the other clothes and pick out a baggy shirt with the word 'PEACE' painted onto it in a bold cursive font. You shoot Sans a text and grab your wallet from your pants, stuffing it into your PJ's. You never know.

You feel Sans' emotions spike as he teleports into your room, chilling on the bed in a 'paint me like one of your french girls' pose. You snort unceremoniously as he winks at you. 

"nice outfit." He comments. you look to see what he's wearing. His hoodie was the same, but under it he wore a 'I put ketchup on my ketchup' shirt. His gym shorts and white slippers were thrown on as usual. He seemed to be wearing some kind of white glove too, and you recognized it from when Frisk would fight him in-game. 

"I could say the same." You strutted over and collapsed onto the bed, rolling into his hug. Before you knew it, you were at Alphys and Undyne's rather  _large_ house. You have a few raps of knocking before the doors slid up- yes, up- and Undyne greeted you. 

"Hey lovebirds! We're all waiting on you." She looked excited and pleased as you and Sans lumbered in. You heard the door shut with a 'click' before making your way to the living room. You could see the back of Mettaton, Frisk, and Papyrus' heads as they chatted on, but Alphys seemed to be missing. You quirked a brow at Undyne. "She's getting the DVD's." You nodded. The couch was full so you trailed behind Sans as he hopped into one of the chairs. You looked questioningly at him.

"it would be a  _lap_  easier on me if you could sit here." You grinned. 

"Well,  _sit_ , there's not much room!" You mockingly glance around, teasing.

"play  _chair_ with me now." Papyrus groans loudly, finally hearing you, and attracts the gazes of Frisk and MTT. Frisk eagerly bounces over to you and wraps you in a snuggly hug, and Mettaton simply winks. 

"It's nice to see you again, darling. Hows those gifts doing?" He asks.

"Working on them. I've only got," you counted on your fingers for a second to emphasize, "two- no, three done, seven left, and three weeks to do them." You turned to Sans and hopped into his lap, resting your head on his shoulder. 

"Excellent!" Mettaton shows something that looks like teeth before turning around. Alphys walks out of her room carrying several DVDs and laying them out on the table. You notice the purple rings under her eyes that have been trying to hide under her makeup, and a wave of guilt passes over you. Her eyes sparkle with excitement under the stress you can see, however, and makes you feel better.

"One, two, three.." Alphys mumbles, counting everyone. "Okay! T-today we're going to m-marathon 7 movies! They're about two guys who hit on each other for money and they're actually related and they don't really like each other but then they fall in love and everything goes happy but then a guy comes along and ruins it and-" She gasps, exhaling a cloud of CO2. "I t-think you get it." Her smile is excited, forgoing of hesitation, yet slightly strained. She quickly places the CD in her computer and it streams to the TV.

Undyne walks in carrying a bowl of popcorn and some sushi, then runs back in the kitchen for a second. She returns with a smaller bag of popcorn and plops it in your lap, snickering. You giggled a little bit at her thoughtfulness. The chair you were both sitting in was a bit far from the table- you'd have to walk to get to it- and can barely see the TV due to the awkward angle. 

 _That's fine,_ you think as you pass Sans a handful of popcorn,  _because I think we're gonna cuddle the entire time._ You can already feel Sans rubbing small circles into your knuckles as he opens his mouth, revealing his sharp canines. His tongue isn't there but before he closes his mouth you see tendrils of magic growing into the structure. You snuggle into him, your breath tickling his neck bones. He shivered slightly and playfully glared at you, erupting a quiet snicker. The whole of the living room was quiet now, excluding the occasional rumble of the laundry machine or gasp from someone on the couch.

Sans started rubbing your scalp lightly, leaving a tingly feeling across it. Slowly, it lulled you into a deep sleep, with dreams of anime figures running around and clashing with fish monsters.

As you fell asleep, you were unaware of Sans placing his hoodie over you to keep you warmer. He drew his magic around you, enlightening you in a small fire that spread peace through you.

It was a great night.

For a while, anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ megalovania shirt nora found](https://www.fangamer.com/products/megalovania)
> 
>  
> 
> Okay guys. im sorry for the lack of posting and im also sorry because its a short chapter.  
> i hope you got some asnwers from it.  
> ill try to post friday and might be able to do some on the weekends but im going to a place that may not have a computer so..  
> bear with me here.  
> go read some other books while you wait.  
> ;u;


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> out on friday like i promised! still late tho. oops.  
>  _grammar might be bad for a while, i don't have a computer i can check the grammar properly on yet. with an app. or two. :/ sorry._  
>  comment some misspells i do pls.
> 
> might not upload much this weekend. sorry. enjoy this spoopy chapt and read my other books until then.  
> also might make more mistakes because i burned my hand. :/  
> whoops.

The sweet bliss of your anime-related dreams faded, and a new one started up.

**_You were next to Sans, who was happily holding your hand. You stood in a park full of little kids that squealed in delight when one of them approached you. You felt the grip on Sans' hand tighten, though didn't look at him nor his fingers._ **

**_The child walked up, wrapping you in a one-armed hug. When they pulled away, their hair moved and showed their face. The grip on your hand was gone._ **

**_"Nora, I love you. Why did you leave me?" The child asked, crawling into a ball and sniffling loudly. You turned to Sans for help, only to meet the face of your mother._ **

**_"I despise you. How could I have ever trusted you? To know, after all these years, it was you whom I was protecting.." She turned away, a dangerous glint to her eye._ **

**_"You're a demon!" She turned away, running towards an alley._ **

**_"M-mom!" You screamed, getting up to see her, yet you were frozen. Rosa's wails became louder as your mom was ambushed and killed, body falling limp. "Stop! No! God, god stop! Rosa!" Rosa ran toward the figure._ **

**_"Mommy~!" She cried, hiccuping._ **

**_"Rosa! Stop! Stop it, please!" You started weeping. "Stop! They'll hurt you! Rosa-!"_ **

**_You feel something shaking you, rocking the world. Splits erupted into the ground, faces of the ones you loved crawling out. "It's your fault!" They whispered._ **

**_"N-no, I tried! I tried to save you, oh god, oh god, oh god, please, help me..!" You collapsed as the world shook more, fading into something familiar._ **

You thrashed wildly as you felt a pair of strong arms hugging your waist. "Please, stop, oh god," You squeezed your eyes shut, unattractive sobs leaving your mouth. "I didn't mean to, I tried, please-"

"Nora, You're Awake! You're Fine, It's Us, Your Friends." You heard an energetic male voice that reminded you of Noah. it was filled with so much care. So delicate.

"Noah, please don't blame me, I tried to save you, please leave me alone..!" You curled up tighter. 

"babe, you're not... there, wherever there is. you're home. it's us, your friends." You heard a deep rumble murmur in your ear. You blink your eyes open, taking in the scene. You were... awake.

And everyone was staring at you.

The clock on the wall read 4 AM, and a quick glance around showed that Frisk and Mettaton were gone.

You recoiled, shoving your hands in your face. "I'm sorry, oh god did I wake you guys, oh no... did.. did you hear all of that.." You hiccuped, dread coursing through you. Now you were going to have to explain how you killed your siblings, huh? 

"Listen, kid. We're not gonna make you explain.. who they are. Unless you want to.. but, yes, you did wake us up." When you felt guilt wash over you, Undyne continued. "I.. don't know what that is about and I don't think anyone else does, but if you need to go home it's fine." Her usual enthusiasm was replaced by worry.

"I'm.." You paused, sighing. "I'm fine. Just.. night terrors." Sans' hand was reassuringly rubbing your shoulders. Alphys and Sans shared a glance.

"are you sure you can go back to sleep?" Sans' voice quietly reached your ear. You felt his magic sending waves of calm through you, pulsing slowly. 

"Yes.." You sighed again, wiping your tears. "I'm sorry. For waking you all.. and I don't... I don't wanna talk about it." You ended up muttering the last part.

"that's fine." He stroked your hair. By now, everyone was back in their sleeping positions, Papyrus flickering off the lights.

"Human, If You Need To Talk About Something I Am Always Here!" He whispered-shouted to you. You nodded sleepily, relaxing waves of Sans' magic easing inside you. You dozed off dreamless for the rest of the night, yet, unbeknownst to you, Sans was awake through the entire thing.

*****************

Sans woke up to your soft mutterings. You said something along the lines of, "No, no, mom, please.." You were dreaming. Or, having a nightmare.

He started to rub circles into your shoulders to wake you, yet you didn't budge. You started crying, talking louder now. "N-no, Rosa, come back.. they.. no..!" You yanked your head to the right, causing it to pop. Sans froze at the sound but started waking you quickly after. Papyrus groaned to your cries.

"N-no, it's not my fault... Noah.. Kade, no, please... stop..! I tried.. men.. mom.. run!" Sans shook you harder. You kicked out your left leg, grasping onto the side of the chair with your right arm. Your head lolled forward before ramming back, narrowly missing Sans' own. Undyne stood up, Alphys stirring now.

You grew louder and rougher, tears streaming down your face. "Is she okay?" Alphys asked, rolling off the couch worriedly.

"Kade! Kade please- Dad, stop, oh god-" you flinched, shying to the left and almost tipping the chair over. 

"nora!" Sans called desperately. 

"I tried to save you Noah, I tried, I tried, please, oh god, Rosa, I didn't mean to-" Sans' hoodie was soaking. Your breathing became more erotic. You were awake.

"Nora, You're Awake! You're Fine, It's Us, Your Friends." Papyrus called out a bit quieter than usual. You clenched your fists over your head, not daring to open your eyes. 

"Noah, please don't blame me, I tried to save you, please leave me alone..!" 

"babe, you're not... there, wherever  _there_ is. you're home. it's us, your friends." Sans wondered what happened in the past to make you this bad, but didn't ask. Yet. You'd never had night terrors this bad before... And who was Kade? Noah? And Rosa.. that name was familiar.

You opened your eyes, looking around with deep remorse and pain in your eyes. Your rapid breathing eased a bit as Sans started rubbing your shoulders and head.

Sans wiped your  tears, but you didn't seem to notice. You were looking at the group with mortification. "I'm sorry, oh god did I wake you guys, oh no... did.. did you hear all of that.." You tried to curl into a ball.

Undyne spoke up, and you flinched. "Listen, kid. We're not gonna make you explain.. who they are. Unless you want to.. but, yes, you did wake us up." She paused, letting it sink in. "I.. don't know what that is about and I don't think anyone else does, but if you need to go home it's fine."

You seemed to stop shaking the slightest ask Undyne said that, withdrawing your hands from your face. "I'm... I'm fine." You sighed. "Just.. night terrors." He sent pulses of warm magic through you, tracing shapes into your scalp. A pleased sigh escaped you, unbeknownst to the group that excluded Sans. It was nice.

"are you sure you can go back to sleep?" Sans asked, worried. What if you couldn't? What if you didn't want Sans by your side anymore? _it wouldn't hurt,_ he told himself, _i'll be fine._

"Yes," You sighed again, running your hand over your cheeks. "I'm sorry. For waking you all.. and I don't... I don't wanna talk about it." You whispered the last bit, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

"that's fine," He ran his hand over your hairline, eliciting another quiet sigh. It was a nice noise... _no, no sans, don't think about that-!_

Everyone crawled back into their sleeping areas, curling up, as Papyrus loitered by the light. He flicked it off then crouched in front of you. "Human, If You Need To Talk About Something I Am Always Here!" You nodded, yawning, and snuggled into Sans. He sent more magic into you and felt you relax, slumping against him. You nuzzled his cervical vertebrae and he had to force down a grunt.

He decided to stay awake to make sure you didn't have more nightmares.

..so he did, before passed out around two hours later.

* * *

Sans felt a great weight roll off of him and whined briefly, missing the warmth it brought. His SOUL tugged towards it and he realized it must have been you. Lazily, he peeked an eye open. You were walking towards the kitchen, swaying your hips very slightly. He sighed, realizing you had his jacket on. When did you get his hoodie? Oh well.

Sans dug himself deeper into the recliner, smiling. Why were you so warm? And the way you felt, slumped over him, you squishy flesh..  _stop. stop it sans. stop. nobody said you could think like that!_ He brought a hand up to his face, rubbing his forehead. When he brought it down, he realized.. there was red on his hands. He nearly screamed, but all that came out was a loud hissing sound. His head jerked downwards, fear of finding DT everywhere, but..

Undyne dashed in briefly, checking the noise. She nearly laughed when she saw Sans with his marker- covered head, but.. he looked  _terrified._ Sans didn't notice her, he was clutching his chest around where his SOUL would be. "Sans? You okay?" Sans didn't hear. He was muttering to himself.  _Okay, I fucked up. What the hell?_ Undyne thought as she saw Sans whispering your name under his breath, as well as Papyrus'. "Sans!" She said louder. 

"Everything okay?" You shouted from the kitchen. That drew his attention. It was really hard taking Sans seriously with the mustache and monocle drawn on his head, as well as some doodle on his skull, but he looked so  _relieved_ to see Undyne. Nobody was dead.

"u-undyne? you're.. alive.." He breathed.

"It's fine! Just a 'lil scare!" Undyne glanced back. You popped into the living room with two mugs in hand, but upon seeing Sans, set them on the floor. 

"Sans, what happened?" You glanced at his hand. "Babe.." You walked over. Undyne watched in bewilderment. 

"nora, you're.." Sans grabbed you and hugged you fiercely, breathing in your scent. He would have kissed you, but.. he didn't know if you were okay with it. You rarely kissed him anyways. He should probably fix that.

"I won't leave you, Sans. Chara is gone, Frisk is here. You're okay." Undyne left as Alphys called her back sin

Sans felt you pull away, and he let go reluctantly, but you pulled him in for a quick, sweet kiss a few moments after. He held you delicately before you pulled away, eyes stern and loving. "I will not leave you, ever, on the factor of my will, Sans. I.. I love you." You murmured. Sans pulled you back in for another kiss, relishing the way your SOUL thumped faster. He held you longer until he felt you shy away, in which he moved with you for a second.

"i love you too." He murmured. You smiled happily and walked over to grab your coffee mugs. When you returned, you carried a cup of brown coffee for you and black for Sans. You knew he liked it most, so.. "thanks, babe." You sat down across his lap, different from last night, and slurped your coffee. He took a sip, relishing the way it slid over his tongue and dissolved. It left a slightly tingling feeling due to its temperature, making all the better.

You set yours down as Undyne and Papyrus walked into the living room, carrying their plates of waffles. "Mmm. Want me to go get yours?" You asked, licking your lips.

"yes," Sans replied, winking as you glared slightly at him. On top of that, you smacked him lightly and dragged your hand over his face. 

"M'kay, markerface, I'll get 'cher waffles." You smirked and strolled into the kitchen as Papyrus walked out. He looked happy.

"markerface? what kind of... oh." Sans sighed, slumping into the bathroom. Alphys and Papyrus snickered while Undyne bellowed with laughter.

Smeared marker littered his skull as well as an undisturbed mustache. A monocle was fine on the bottom yet messed up on the top. And.. oh. Classic.

He washed his face, flailing around when water got in his eye socket. When he, finally, finished, he walked back into the living room. You were eating waffles and chatting with Undyne about the anime you'd watched last night when he noticed. On your forehead, covered by your hair, was the name "Sans" in bright blue marker as well as a heart around it. He snickered.

"Hmm?" You said, sipping the last of your coffee. Sans shrugged, walking over. You scooted over before Sans took both plates and sat them on the dresser beside the chair, then picked you up. You squeaked, causing him to chuckle, and was placed in his lap on the chair. "Really? Really Sans?" You commented, positioning yourself like earlier. You reached for your waffles but they were already floating towards your lap, kudos to Sans. You started talking with Undyne and Alphys again as he ate his own waffles, placed in an awkward position over his stomach.

Shortly after you finished, Sans pulled you into a cuddle-hug, then clasped his hands in a heart. He snickered, placing them on your forehead. "Sans, what are you doing?" You asked, smiling at his strange gesture.

"nothing, just sculping the blueprints on your face." He kept his laughter in but let little giggles out as you contemplated his words.

"Are you serious?" You sighed, rubbing your forehead. A bit of the marker smeared on your face. "Ugh, lemme wash it off-" You attempted ro rise from your position on the chair but Sans held you back. Undyne started laughing, and, once they realized what was happening, Papyrus and Alphys alike. "Sans!" You dragged the 'a' out in a groan. 

"i can't live without you nora." He said, nuzzling your neck. 

You attempted to escape his grasp again but to no exceed. "Please?" You turned and looked at him sideways. 

"nope," he closed his eyes, sighing. "this is your punishment for calling me markerface."

You smirked, shifting your body around so you were on him sideways. He still held you, confused, but didn't let you go. "Sans, please?" You batted your lashes one more time. Sans was confused.. but shook his head, grinning as he closed his eyes. "nope, sorry b-" He felt you grab his head and pull him into a kiss, and his grip loosened, surprised. You took the chance and hopped out, grinning madly. 

"you're such a tease," He groaned. Everyone was giggling at him and Undyne was trying especially hard not to burst out. Once they were all looking at him he stuck his tongue out, catching them by surprise. You ran into the bathroom as they started asking questions.

"You have a TONGUE?!" Undyne had her jaw slack, eyes wide and curious. 

"W-woah, it's b-blue like your hoodie!" Alphys noted. Of course, they didn't know the color of his magic yet. 

"HOW DO I MAKE A TONGUE, BROTHER?" Sans tensed. 

"w-well bro, um, aha.." Sans really didn't want to explain. God, that would be unbelievably awkward. 

"Y-yeah Sans! How do you?" Alphys quizzed. Undyne looked on in bewilderment.

Sans started sweating. "um," he coughed. "it's.. um..  _intimate,_ " His gaze travelled to the TV. It was very interesting, covered in a slight layer of dust. It was probably because they used the remote so often.

"INTIMATE? WHAT DOES INTIMATE MEAN, SANS?" Papyrus asked, excited at the prospect of learning. He heard you laugh, hard, as his face became blue with cheeks colder by the second. 

"um. uh. aha. so." He looked over at Alphys and Undyne desperately, pleading for a change in the subject, yet they stared back, amused. "so," He draggled on. "when. um. hey, nora, can you freaking hurry up?" Undyne started laughing.

"Yeah, I'll be done in 15 minutes~!" You sang. 

"SANS, WHY ARE YOU STALLING?" Papyrus looked a bit angry.

"paps, can we talk about this another time?" Sans' face was now about as blue as his jacket and his voice was pitched higher.

"WHY NOT NOW?" Papyrus' eyes  _shone._

"it um. it's.. private," Sans brought his hood over his face and pulled the strings, encasing everything but his nasal cavity. 

"O-OH!" It was Papyrus' turn to turn a color- orange, in his case, and slightly red.

You strutted out, smirking, but Sans didn't see. He was still laying back in the chair with his hoodie encased over himself when he felt something sit-land on him-  _hard. "_ a-ah!" He moaned involuntarily. You had landed _right_ on his pelvis, and scooted a bit, rubbing.

Undyne  _froze,_ Alphys tensed, and Papyrus looked on, confused. He opened his mouth to quiz but was slapped by Undyne before he had a chance to say anything. 

Sans scrambled to get the thing-person off of him, still not knowing who or what it was. As soon as he felt it roll off of him he curled up in a ball, embarrassed. "Sans, did I-"

"yes," His muffled voice sounded, at least an octave lower. He tensed at the sound.

"Oh god, I'm sorry," You whispered.

Sans didn't see, but Undyne and Alphys were red, blushing mad, and you were even worse. "hnn," Right then, he wanted a hole to open up and swallow him whole. Papyrus was still confused, but didn't ask anything.

"Oh look at the time! It's time to.. do work! Yup! And you guys should go home!" Undyne yelled a little bit too loudly. She grabbed Papyrus' wrist and whispered something to him, in which he nodded vigorously. "Bye Papyrus! And Sans! And Nora too!" Sans felt his hoodie being lifted up and he was greeted with the slight of a very flustered Nora and confused Papyrus. "OH and Pap they need to do work stuff too! So they're staying here! Yup!" Undyne said, again too loud.

"UM, OKAY... BYE UNDYNE!" He hopped outside nervously. He must have a lot on his mind. As soon as the door clicked shut, Undyne turned to Sans.

"What was that?" She looked angry, amused, and flustered.

"i can't help it!" Sans tried to lift his hood back over his face but Undyne forced it back.

"Yeah, yeah sure. You can't be THAT sensitive," Undyne rolled her eyes, smirking.

 You looked very uncomfortable and squirmed, which elicited a groan from Sans again. "f-fuck," 

"Dude!"

Sans was a deep navy blue and you turned ever redder. "i'm a skeleton! i'm exposed! oh my god, i never thought i'd have to talk about this," Sans threw his head back, complaining. "look. you have skin to cover you and i don't. I'm sensitive. paps just doesn't feel anything because he wears that armor over him, but if someone grabbed his spine-"

"Oh my god, stop it," You looked about as ready to die as he did, leaning against his chest. 

"B-but I need to know this!" Alphys came back with a notepad. She was grinning wildly, a playful glint in her eye. 

"really? can't you ask someone else?" Sans rubbed his face.

"W-well, Papyrus is the only other skeleton, a-and he doesn't know anything," Alphys commented.

"She has a point," Undyne was still towering over the pair. Sans was filled with regret, embarrassment, and nervousness. "So," Undyne dragged the 'o.' "Sans, how do skeletons get intimate?" She smirked.

"do you really need to know this?" Sans scratched his neck, studying your hair.

"Yes. For science. Explain!" Undyne was about ready to strangle him for answers.

Sans breathed for a moment. "i can channel magic. okay? i can make anything into a solid. i don't even know if paps can. i can give it properties, but most of the time it already has a few based on the shape and area it's in. also, sometimes they're made due to mood of emotions, sometimes from instinct," Sans was still studying your hair with his face becoming impossibly colder. 

"Can you d-demonstrate?" Alphys asked, writing something down.

"w-what?" Sans opened his eyes, shocked.

"Noah, not like that! N-not like that, oh god. Make like.. a hand!" Alphys quickly said.

"um.. okay.." Sans focused his magic around his hand. He summoned a transparent cyan hand and help it out. 

"Wow... This is nothing like the- um, never mind," You quickly backpedalled, flustered. 

"like what?" Sans questioned as Undyne rubbed the hand.

"Um. The thing," you coughed, "game. Thing. 'Yenno," You rolled out.

"w-what?" Sans retracted his hand.

"There were comics! I'm sorry, holy shit," You covered your face. Alphys and Undyne looked bewildered.

"nora, wait, did you- oh my god, no, you did, nora, why, oh god this is so embarrassing," Sans felt a knot in his throat. "you've seen it haven't you. wait. you've seen paps too haven't you. oh my god. oh my god nora. why."

"They were all over the internet! So popular! Oh my god, they made alternate universes! I couldn't help it! Well, maybe I could, but I was hooked!" You stopped, then leaned towards him, and whispered, "We should talk later."

"What game?" Undyne asked. You shared a glance with Sans.

"should we..?"

"I think not yet." You told Undyne and Sans.

"Tell us!" Alphys pleaded. You looked back to Sans again.

"I guess.. but don't tell anyone.." You said reluctantly. You took a breather. "Okay, so there's this... game..."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember to comment grammar stuff.  
> or just comment.
> 
> (i love when people comment please say something I'm desperate)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans panics a little too badly.  
> ..whoops.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> ..but was he right about his theory?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey.  
> this chapter is a disaster.  
> literally.  
> sans needs to chill out.

You closed "Undertale.exe" and turned towards the three monsters who were looking at you in a mix of fear, fascination, and confusion after you saved the game. You had brought them over to your house after they didn't believe you and showed them a few of the photos that didn't reveal Sans' power. You don't think any of them knew what his magic color was, never mind the Gaster Blasters he could summon.. besides the hand he summoned.. You shook the thought off, along with the blush that was quickly rising on your cheeks.

Alphys was shocked as well as Undyne. Sans looked a bit calmer about it but was shaking visibly. 

"Sans, are you okay?" His head snapped up to see you. He was still trembling. He latched onto your wrist and pulled you out, leaving Alphys and Undyne alone.

"n-nora.. the time.. on the game.. it was different from when you showed me.." He whispered, voice quivering.

"Um.. yeah?" You cocked your head, confused. He looked distressed.

"do you know what that means?" He whispered. When you shook your head, he ran his phalanges over the crown of his skull. "that game... controls time... alike frisk.. when she loaded it affected the game's stats. nora.. that game could reset our lives," He froze. He started shaking violently, choked sobs joining his tears. "no, no no no... no no  _no no!_ " He gripped your tighter, staring at the floor. Cyan tears dribbled and plopped onto his shorts as well as the floor.

"Sans? Sans, what's wrong?" You pulled him closer, but he jerked away, shaking. He was  _terrified_ of you. 

Before you had a chance to comment on it, he blipped out of sight. You sighed and let his words sink into your mind as you quickly got up to make sure that the couple wouldn't reset or anything.

"-you, Undyne? This could mean anything." You heard Alphys murmur as you clicked the door to your room open. Upon seeing you, she brightened. "N-nora, um, when w-was this game made?" She looked you up and down a bit nervously.

"September 15th, three years ago," You smiled at her and sat down at your desk. 

"Oh.." Alphys whispered. Undyne pumped her fist.

"HELL yeah! Did you see how RAD I looked in my guard costume? Fuckin' great!" Her teeth glinted, shiny and sharp.

"Mhmm. My favorite part was when you were doing the overworld battle with Frisk on the bridge, it was so cool," You beamed. She seemed slightly agitated about the fact she'd tried to kill Frisk but was happy anyways.

"Yeah, I still have no idea how that squirt didn't take any hit points. Glad they didn't!" She brightened. Alphys had been quiet but spoke up then.

"Nora, does... Does this mean y-you know everything about us?" She whispered. You paused as Undyne seemed to darken a bit.

"..yes, and more. I know.. stuff that you guys don't," You swiveled your chair to face them completely. 

"Prove it," Undyne said. "Prove that you do. What was my final form supposed to be called?" She challenged. You had forgotten about Sans at this point

"U-Undyne, I haven't planned it, how would she-!?"

"Undyne the Undying," You sat back, arms crossed, then perked up as her words reached your mind. "W-wait, you didn't plan it yet?" You slapped your hand over your mouth. "Shit.."

"Woah.." Undyne's eyes were practically sparkling. "Wait, tell us about Sans! He's like, so silent. I don't even know what he likes. What are his attacks? Does he have any secrets? Why is he always dodging-" You slammed your hand down to stop her.

"I'm not answering those questions. They're private," you began, "and I know they are. Alphys, you don't even know. I know he sometimes talked to you about it when you were lab partners, but.. It's his information to tell. You wouldn't understand, and you don't need to. How would you feel if I told everyone your obsession for anime body pillows?" You looked on smugly as Undyne blushed. "Exactly. What if I told someone about you guys' parents, what happened to them?" You sighed. You may have been too harsh. "Look, I'm just trying to make a point. It's private and even I shouldn't know. I probably know more about you guys than Frisk, believe it or not. I also know about Frisk and yadda yadda yadda." You rolled your eyes, sitting back in the chair.

"Parents..?" Alphys whispered darkly. Undyne was looking on in disbelief and anger. 

"Whatever." She muttered.

"Alright, now if you'll excuse me I have to go look for Sans," you stood up but stopped when Undyne grabbed you.

"He left?" She asked.

"Got scared, not sure what happened, let me go," You yanked away and strolled out the door, leaving them to their own thoughts. You were glad they didn't know the password to your computer.

****************

Sans leaned against the counter, letting his sobs free. He was silent, body convulsing quietly. If anyone noticed, they didn't approach him.

He felt a light tap on his shoulder and looked up to find Grillby. He seemed concerned. "..yeah..?" Sans whispered just loud enough to hear.

 **Usual?** Grillby signed. Sans shook his head.

"how about 3 parts fire brew and 1 part echo whiskey, huh?" His voice cracked a bit. Grillby nodded slowly and began to mix the drink. 

As he held the bottom of the cup, letting the Fire Brew warm and cooling the Echo Whiskey, he signed with his free hand.  **What happened?**

Sans laughed darkly, a feeling of horror coursing through him. "a lot," He watched as Grillby grabbed tongs and poured the cold Echo Whiskey into the boiling Fire Brew. Steam floated around the bar as it settled, a swirling blue and red becoming a dull purple. Sans grabbed the cup tentatively, savoring how the drink altered from boiling hot to freezing cold. It never stayed an exact temperature and that's why he loved it, as well as how harmless it was temperature wise.

He took a gulp as it was cold and felt it burning his tongue, relishing the pain that followed. He was so  _numb._ How could he ever trust.. that  _thing..._ Nora.. after what she did? He chuckled darkly, eye lights dimming rapidly. **Please do not dance around your problems. Is something happening with Nora?**  He took another swig of the drink, feeling it take effect. That was another thing he loved about it, the fact it made him tipsy so fast.

"oh, _her_?" His grin stretched. "can she even be classified as a thing? probably not," He propped his head up. "i'm alone again grillby. heh. she's such an  _ash_ -hole for lying to me. and stuff," He bellowed at his own pun.

Grillby looks worried, his fire crackling in mild concern and confusion.  **Sans, what happened? Why are you treating her as if she is not a being?** He signed quickly and carefully.

"because she's not! she's a damn demon, grillbz. god, how could i not see it before," He muttered, shuddering as the scar on his ribcage tingled. His SOUL tugged a bit and he could feel your distress and fear along with confusion and guilt. Did you really not know what you did? "how can she even be my fucking soulmate?" He said angrily.

 **I- She's your soulmate?** He looked shocked. 

"i didn't re- _ember_ to tell you? or anyone else..? heh. fuckin' idiot, aren't i?" He was smiling now. It seemed genuine, but... "she shouldn't be. no. she didn't tell me that.." He downed the rest of the drink, whooping. "might as well call her her real name, c-" His phone rang, drowning out what he was going to say. It chimed twice again so he picked it up, sliding his lock pad. "oh," he sighed, "is' her." He slurred.

*sans? where are you?  
*i don't know what i did..  
*please come home.

"she doesn't know what she DID?" He chortled, wheezing after a bit. "what a joke." He was shaking, trying to hide his fear.

-im afraid

He clicked the power button once, pocketing it. Grillby was already making him another round of the Brewsky, as he liked to call it.  **Sans, is.. are you okay?** Grillby asked, sliding the temperature-changing drink towards him.

"'fine, grillbz. im fine, promise," He drank it while it was hot, feeling it freeze his tongue before to dissipated. He realized how it tasted. When cold, he could taste the water from waterfall and the scent of flourishing echo flowers as well as the hollow embrace it would pull him into. It left a sweet twinge that turned warm in an aftertaste. He could sense the warm atmosphere it would leave you in, gentle yet rough. He took another sip. When it was hot, it tasted like a warm steam with a bitter twist that made it seem as if you'd swallowed lava, yet turned cold in the aftertaste. 

It was, truly, the best liquor he'd ever swallowed.

After he finished his drink he realized he'd gotten a few more messages. He was terrified of you and yet angry, but underneath he still loved you. The regret and care he felt was being buried under his terror and mortification, desperately trying to break free. He didn't let it, afraid he'd get too attached. He shouldn't have left himself so.. vulnerable.

*of what?  
*are you afraid of me..  
*sans, what can i do to fix this?  
*i thought about what you said earlier.. i don't want to test it out but  
*it could be true.  
*please come home   
*im sorry.   
*i don't know what i did.  
*...  
*i love you

He re-read the last message. You  _loved_ him. You didn't like him, you  _loved_ him _._ And you.. no, no! You couldn't have meant it! Not after.. you lied to him! He felt like he was going insane, and going insane he was.

-please don't hurt me  
-or papyrus  
-or anyone  
-don't follow us please

*what are you talking about??  
*i'd never hurt anyone unless i needed to.

Hah. Liar. He decided not to respond.. he probably needed to warn the others before he found them dusted. As woozy as he felt, he knew you were evil. Ever since... 

How could he have been so blind?

"later, grillbz," He dropped a 20 on the counter, the third time he's ever paid. He heard a sigh from the fire monster before he found himself inside his own home, looking around frantically.

"p-papyrus?" He yelled. When he didn't receive an answer, he called again. "papyrus!" He ran up the stairs and down the hall to Papyrus' room, beating on the door. 

"Nyeh..? H-HELLO?" Papyrus croaked. He was probably asleep.. it was pretty late.

"papyrus, come on. we gotta go.. uh.." What could he say so that Papyrus wouldn't want to save the day? "..vacation! to the beach. for a while! get your stuff ready, i'll be back in a minute!" He ran down to his room twisting the knob to find it locked.  _fuck.._ He teleported inside and promptly pulled his phone out. With as much care and as quickly as he could, he entered his lock number and opened the phone app. From there he called Undyne.

"Sans? What do you want-" 

"undyne, we gotta go. there's.. danger.. c'mon, don't ask me why, we just need to get away for a while and fast. i told papyrus we're having a vacation so act like we are." He cut her off a few times. "tell alphys, do not tell nora. i.. I'm gonna surprise her. yep. meet me at my place a half hour from now, bring food blankets and whatever you need for a while. and tents! tents. maybe a knife too.." He rambled on.

"Dude, what do you mean danger? I don't know what's going on," Undyne paused at Sans' panicked yelp as he tripped over a shirt, "but.. fine, I guess. You always know something's up.." She sighed, defeated. "Alphys! Come here!" He heard her before she shut the phone off. He grabbed his telescope and a few books as well as blankets. He ran down the flight of stairs with a sling bag and darted into the kitchen, then paused. 

"SANS, WHAT DO WE NEED FOR THIS 'VACATION?'" Papyrus sounded energetic and he could hear fabric fluffing out- probably his blanket or clothing.

"whatever you fancy! anything you can carry i don't mind," He shouted back, opening the knives drawer. He shivered and drew back for a second before grabbing a knife with a cover over it. He stuck it in his voidy pockets and grabbed canned and dry food, stuffing them in his bag. As he walked by the table briskly, he knocked a chair over but paid no mind to it. He ended up dropping a few canned goods on the floor along with flour- which all spilled into an air vent- yet didn't put any effort to resolve.

A few loud raps on his door echoed through the house.  _they're here_ _already?_ He walked over to the front door, feeling his legs burn. He pulled it open with slight difficulty and looked up to see Undyne carrying Alphys. They both looked unsure and nervous. "What's the dan-" Sans put his hand over his teeth desperately, pointing upstairs.

"hey, guys! so.. so glad you could make it for the vacation! heh..." His quivering voice gave way to his confidence.

"SANS, WHO IS HERE?" Papyrus poked his head out of his door and gasped. "UNDYNE! ALPHYS! I WAS NOT EXPECTING YOU HERE! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TELL OUR FRIEND NORA ABOUT OUR VACATION!"

Sans panicked. "n-no! do NOT tell her!" He said a little bit too loudly. Everyone looked at him. "um. I'm gonna surprise her! right now actually! i'll be back!" He stepped backward, towards the door frame, but Undyne blocked him.

"What's going on, Sans?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> funny frisk perspective change where she is being controlled by undertale as nora walks around!
> 
> ****************
> 
> Frisk turned a new page in her book, reading happily when she felt herself jolt forward. Out of fear, she dropped the book. She tried to pick it up but felt her body moving towards she wall.
> 
> "Frisk dear, are you alright?" Toriel looked up from her book, cocking a brow. Frisk started to sign furiously.
> 
>  **Help! I don't know what's happening, I can't-** She walked face first into a wall and kept on pushing forwards, letting out squeaks. She felt herself turn exactly 90 degrees and start walking into the hallway before turning another 90 degrees into the wall.
> 
> "Frisk, stop what you are doing! This is not funny!" Toriel's panicked voice rose, her book cluttering to the carpet. As Frisk walked towards the front door, she signed again.
> 
>  **Something is controlling me! I can't help it! Please call-** She walked, _again,_ face-first- or should I say face- _frisk_ \- into a wall.
> 
> This happened for an hour...  
> And her face hurt.
> 
> ..little did Frisk know, Nora had been playing Undertale.
> 
> ****************  
> that didn't really happen.  
> just a thing.  
> enjoy.
> 
> tell me your theories! why do you think sans is freaking out c;? and do you think it's a bit overboard bc i do.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my GOD im so sorry for not uploading forever i just hdvkodsnbv im so soRRY  
> so this is what took me so long.  
> i wrote the entire chapter.  
> and then?  
> i refreshed.  
> i refreshed the page.  
> and it wasn't saved.  
> it took 3 hours to write.  
> if this is rushed, im sorry. i lost my motivation.  
> enjoy.

Why did it all have to happen on Christmas Eve?

*please don't hurt me  
*or papyrus  
*or anyone  
*don't follow us please

-what are you talking about??  
-i'd never hurt anyone unless i needed to.

You felt guilt and confusion well inside you. What was he talking about?

 _This is one hell of a dream..._ You jerked, feeling a static-induced voice fill your ears.

..it was your own...

You sighed, brushing it off. You had more intense problems to deal with! You stumbled out of your house, catching yourself before you fell. If anything, Sans would be at Grillby's. You climbed into your car, revving the engine up before it roared to life and the headlights blinked on, shining against the dark atmosphere. You pulled out of your driveway and into the road, directing yourself among the asphalt.

You heard your phone ring briefly- a call from Papyrus- before it hung up. It was abrupt.. You, while driving, clicked the speech to text button. "Papyrus, why'd you hang up?" You said, hoping it would not get it wrong. Sans' emotions welled in you- panic, fear, uncertainty, frustration, and willing to name a few. 

"Send?" Siri asked. 

"Yes," You replied, hearing the noise to indicate you'd sent the message to go off. You pocketed your phone as you pulled into Grillby's, taking the keys out of your car. You locked the doors and walked inside, searching.

You were about to walk back out when Grillby waved you over. He seemed.. frantic. As you got closer, you saw what he was signing. - **going on with Sans? He just left, and he's treating you as if... you never loved him? What did you do?** He questioned.

"I'm trying to find that out, too. I have no idea why he's avoiding me... Did you see him recently? What'd he say about me?"

Grillby nodded, grabbing the plates from a table next to you. When he returned from the back room, he paused to sign.  **Yes, he's just left not five minutes ago. He told me things like, and I quote, 'She's a damn demon, Grillby,' 'Can she even be classified as a thing? Probably not,' and 'How can she even be my fucking soulmate?'** Grillby shook his head, cracking his knuckles for a distraction.  **I.. don't know why he said those things.**

You were shocked. You could feel an incredible amount of Sans' anger well up inside you, as if.. he was attacking something? You weren't sure. "I.. don't know either.." You mumbled. "Do you know where he went?" You asked, changing the subject.

 **No, he just handed me his bottle and left... _drunk..._  **Grillby sighed.  **I'm not sure.**

You sighed as well. "Okay, thanks..." You stood up to leave. Waving to Grillby, you teetered outside and climbed into your car. Maybe he'd be at his house. A sudden surge of grief and remorse pulsed from your soul and you knew it was Sans', but... Why'd he feel so bad? Before you started the car up, you checked your messages, but to no avail. Papyrus hadn't responded. You could feel a brief click of the emotions subsiding before they raged on again. Why was it so intense..? You felt as if your entire body was burning in compunction. 

 

A car honked, reminding you that you were, indeed, driving. You focused on anything but the emotions and let them die down, your eyes trained on the road.

You passed a few restaurants, seeing a "Muffet's Spider Pastries~!" on one of them. You promised you'd visit it later on but quickly forgot that promise as you neared the house you were looking for. You began to pull into the driveway when a flash of cyan light illuminated the trees, coming from the windows. It blinded you briefly, hurting your eyes. A panicked yelp escaped your lips as you felt the car bump into Papyrus' car's back, metal clicking. You didn't dwell on the fact as you felt the emotions inside you blink again. You climbed out of your car, rushing to the door in fear of what you'd find.

You latched onto the doorknob, leaning all your weight on the door. You collapsed into the house, hearing Alphys' choked wails and Undyne's sad mourning. You lifted your head, then wished you hadn't.

You felt a wave of anger, hurt, betrayal, and numbness crash over you.

How.. could he..?

****************

"undyne, just trust me, it's better if you didn't-" He was still tipsy.

"No, Sans, please tell m-.. tell us." Undyne let out a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms.

Sans fidgeted slightly,  scuffing his slippers on the floor. "undyne, really, i'll tell you when we get the-"

"S-she's right, Sans," Alphys walked forward, staring Sans in the eye and searching his expression. "You never t-tell us anything..." She seemed agitated and slightly concerned. Papyrus was quiet.

"what's the point?" Sans shrugged. Undyne cocked a brow and Alphys stepped back. "why tell you about my problems if they just weigh you down? ever since i came to the surface they've been going away anyways," he lied.

Undyne pinched the bridge of her nose, getting visibly angry. "No, Sans, your problems don't just go," she gestured with her arms randomly, "POOF! Sure, they might be going away, but they'll go faster if you just tell us. It's not like we won't understand, after all, Alphys-"

"no, you actually wouldn't understand undyne," Sans raised his voice a bit, slurring slightly. "i wonder how you'd feel if you had to pay all the rent every month and work six jobs!" Sans slapped his hand over his mouth, realizing he only told Papyrus about three of them.

Although he looked shocked, Papyrus didn't answer. Sans searched his face, realizing he had sweat beading down his skull. Why was Papyrus, of all people, anxious? "SIX jobs? Sans, what the fuck?" Papyrus opened his mouth to protest at the cursing, but then slowly clicked it closed. It was strange. He was getting more nervous as the seconds ticked by.

"nobody fucking hires me! what, you think that since you have a great job because of your previous title, everyone does?" Sans was getting angry, too. Papyrus flinched, never hearing Sans curse before.

"Um... Undyne, we should-" Alphys tried to intervene, but Undyne took an intimidating step forward, causing Sans to wobble backward. 

"No, Sans, I just expected the king's judge to be a higher position up. You're one of the only monsters in the underground who didn't attempt to help with getting the human SOULs," Her voice lowered dramatically, blocking out the light and leaning over Sans. She flashed him a smirk.

Sans fumed. How would she know? She was never there. He did fight a lot in that hall, but his fuzzy mind seemed to block out the reasoning. That alcohol really _was_ strong. He decided to use it against her. "actually, i've fought a bunch, but what would you know? you can't see my stats unless you pull my SOUL out, but i can. it's too bad you only see their mottos," He sneered.

Undyne dropped the smirk and scrunched her brows together, becoming more frustrated by the minute. "Yeah, right! I watched you in the judgment hall! Alphys has cameras!" She challenged. "You know, you're bad at lying, Sans." She sighed angrily.

"oh, really? it's surprising how many lies you DO believe!" Sans yelled back. Alphys had waddled up to Papyrus and leaned onto his leg, both looking equally worried.

Undyne's brows flew up, raising. "Really, now? So.." She seemed to realize he was drunk, or at least slightly, and took that as an advantage. "Who  _did_ you fight in the hall?!"

"it doesn't fucking matter!" Sans was now shouting a bit louder that Undyne. He rubbed the area his temple would be, a headache nagging him.

"Yes, yes it does!" Undyne took another step forward. "Tell us, Sans! Why is it so bad that only you know? Does Nora know?" She screeched back.

Sans was getting excessively tired of her game. He was tired and wanted to leave before they all got killed. "i don't know! i think so! she acts likes there's a problem all the time too but doesn't nag me to the point of yelling at me in my own damn house!" Papyrus was crying sweat at this point, skull slick and shiny, whereas Alphys was shaking...  _in her boots..._

"Ngahhh!" Undyne dug her hands into her head, distressed. "It can't be that bad!" She repeated. "If you had told us sooner, none of this shit would have happened! Alphys told us about the amalgamates, and we all how that went! How can this be ANY WORSE!?" Undyne's eye was flickering as she took a dangerous pace forward. Sans stood his ground.

"i know a few things that CAN be worse! how about you just mind your own damn business? why do you HAVE to know, undyne? why can't you just fuck off already? it's not like i know all your secrets, we all have them! what's the difference here? oh, sans won't tell me anything!! well maybe it's because i don't want to!" Sans felt his magic tingle over his body, wanting- no,  _needing_ to be released. He forced it down, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths as Undyne yowled back.

"Why is it that bad?" She seemed to loop. "You don't even NEED 7 jobs! I know you could get by on two!" Undyne fumed. Sans could see specks of green at her fingertips, crackling dangerously. She was  _pissed._ Sans pulled his hands out of his pockets but she latched on, clutching them to the point of her scales turning purple.

Sans looked down at each wrist slowly, hatred radiating from him. He felt his eyes dim and slowly, painstakingly slowly, raised his head. As soon as Papyrus and Alphys saw him, they looked horrified. Undyne only had confusion but it disappeared quickly as she squeezed tighter. They'd never seen his eyes so.. empty. Devoid of light.

"Let go." Sans' voice was serious, lowering by an octave or two. Undyne had a spark of fear shimmer in her eye before she smiled deviously.

"Or else what?" She sneered.

"Do you want to find out?" He said slowly, letting it sink in. Undyne looked through him, then cackled, releasing him. 

"The easiest enemy? I bet! What's your ATK, Sans?" 

"i told you to stop asking," Sans growled. This sparked Undyne. She looked angrier than earlier, her eyes seeming to glow a sinister green now. With one quick motion, she yanked his SOUL from his body as the world bled a dark black, grinning wide as did Sans. She focused her mind for a bit and read his stats. 

"Wow! Only one ATK  _and_ DEF! I should be going easy on you!" She distanced herself as Sans' eyes glowed back to normal. He ripped open the void, though the hole couldn't be seen as the world was already black. Papyrus watched with Alphys to the left of the commotion.

Pleiades, his omega Gaster Baster, popped out, nudging his hand. He scratched it's snout affectionately as Undyne watched in confusion. "this is my _omega_ blaster, pleiades. do you wanna  p l a y ?" His eyes flickered briefly before returning to their normal state.

Undyne looked unfazed. "Sure! I'd love to. It can't hurt that bad since it's omega and all," Papyrus was frantically pushing Alphys away, but she resisted. As soon as he saw what was going on, though...

It all happened so fast, but for Sans? It felt like he was watching his life revise.

Sans clenched his hand quickly, Pleiades snapping to attention. It separated it's jaws horizontally, a bright beam gathering in its mandible. Undyne flinched as she heard the noise. Sans propelled his hand outwards, eye flickering a teal and yellow color.

Papyrus sprang into the way, in front of the beam, before Sans shot. He canceled the blast out quickly, but by the time he did that, it was too late.

Papyrus' limp body collapsed onto the floor, quivering in agony. He was facing towards Sans, an apologetic smile on his face. Sans could see orange tears gathering in his eyesockets before his SOUL arose from his body, glowing white then a beautiful tangerine color. It shook before an earsplitting crack echoed throughout the room and dust spilled onto the floor. 

Sans sat there, processing what just happened, then laughing as cyan water pooled in his eyelids. It was just a nightmare. Any minute now, Papyrus would shake him awake.

...

He waited, but nothing happened. Undyne was mortified. Alphys was petrified, staring at the dust on the ground. Sans felt his eyes crackle as tears freely billowed from his eyes.

...This was it. He'd done  _everything._ He fell to his knees, his laughter fading away as he curled up in a fetal position. His cries echoed through the house. He thought someone was talking to him, but it didn't register.

His eye burned furiously, hissing out its protests. He shut his eye to keep the light out and stop his tears, yet it didn't work. He felt himself being soaked as he wailed out, screaming for Papyrus. The world spun around him and he felt like he was being shaken, tossed left and right while his head **screamed**  at its headache. He jerked away from the thing, feeling his eye sizzle more. He nestled up again, shrieking in agony as he felt his SOUL thump as numbness washed over him, encasing him in a dark cloud.

His emotions became too much weight, and he heard a loud snap before he found himself in the void. Why? Why did he have to do it? He screamed relentlessly, letting his rage out. He used all his attacks and still felt restless. His voice was ragged from howling out at everything, his SOUL pulsing in anguish. He couldn't even feel your emotions.

He teleported aimlessly, but before he could perceive where he was, he heard the sound of something splintering exclusively loud. His vision faded as he swooned, darkness swallowing him once more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im trying to had to keep the reader's personality together but like  
> i cant  
> omfg  
> soo you guys how do you feel about the book ending at chapter 20? because it's bound to happen. i just got a great concept for the rest of the book and yee yeet  
> also  
> i might not post in a while.  
> sorry..


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow im sorry i ended up uploading the chapter on accident a while ago sorry.  
> anyways this chapter was late because my side.  
> oh god it hurt.  
> it hurt to walk.  
> to lay down.  
> so uh. i took a break.  
> also get ready for some major feels yo

Your mind processed the scene before you. Undyne was on her knees, sobbing into her hands loudly. Alphys was shaking immensely, beginning to snivel and whimper obnoxiously. She was in obvious affliction as she stood over a, rather large, pile of...

Dust...

You felt loads of emotions flooding through you, but nothing could match up to Sans'. His guilt, oh, his  _guilt._ It was unbearable. You couldn't even feel angry anymore. He hadn't meant to... 

..You needed to find Sans, but just laid there, silent tears falling down your cheeks. Alphys and Undyne didn't notice you.

"God, Sans, WHY? WHAT THE FUCK!? PAPYRUS! PAPYRUS... GOD, NO!" Undyne screamed, coughing as her voice became ragged. She turned her head to the side and vomited, splashing on the carpet. "FUCKING HELL!" She choked out, wailing in agony.

Alphys was vibrating in terror, hands shaking relentlessly. Her glasses were soaked in tears, vision blurry and indifferent. She was screeching in trauma, hiccupping wildly as tears ran down her face neverendingly.

"P-pa.. papy..?" You whispered. They looked over to you, anger and despair in their gazes. Undyne vomited some more, soaking the carpet again. You felt Sans' SOUL quiver and the emotions he'd previously felt became numbness and unbelievably intense self-hatred. Anger flowed through you albeit it wasn't your own. He began to rapidly lose his sanity.. and you could feel it.

Your thoughts were broken off by the sound of your phone ringing. You picked it up with shaky hands, Alphys and Undyne hugging each other while they bawled. It was Toriel.

You slid the answer button, leaving a trail of sweat on the phone.

"Hello, my dear, this is Tori-" She paused. "What is going on?"

You sobbed weakly. "P-papyrus.. oh god.. oh god Tori... he.." You cried out, a new wave of Sans' feelings washing over you. He was  _drained,_ weak, and so... numb. Sad.  _Empty._ You felt his SOUL calm for whatever reason yet still hurting in dread.

"My child! Are you alright? Where are you? What is wrong?" She sounded concerned, motherly instincts kicking in.

"S-Sans' house.. quick... Papyrus.. no, god.." You wept.

"I will be there shortly with Asgore, my dear. It is quite packed in the streets, though, so I may be late. Please make sure Papyrus is okay while I'm gone!" She hung up. Oh, if only you knew, Toriel.

You stood up shakily, wobbling over to the pile of dust and dropping your phone. You ended up stepping in Undyne's vomit but didn't really care nor acknowledge it.

There were scorch marks on the walls- darker than black, actually- and it all ended where the flash had come from.  _Sans.._

You slowly grated your hand downwards, filtering the dust from your palm. You sifted through it, a fresh wave of tears rolling from your sockets.

You let the powdery substance fall, leaving your now-sweaty hand covered in his dust. It dawned on you then. You were holding the remains of Papyrus.

You had to fix this...

You had to fix it...

You had to...

...

Reset. 

You were going to reset.

You backed up, leaving Undyne and Alphys on their own, and scrambled outside where the chilly air drafted. You didn't bother to close the door as you dove into your car, hardly shutting the door before you turned it on. As you pulled out of the driveway in your car, you felt Sans' SOUL spark in fear. It quickly dissipated, leaving you dazed in confusion and wracked with grief.

Your tears didn't falter in pace, but only quickened as did your heart rate. What if you didn't remember them? Your friends? They wouldn't remember you, so maybe it was for the better.

..Oh well. That was okay. At least they'd live on happier. You started this mess, you had to end it. Your soulmate hated you. That was fine. He killed his brother because of you. That was fine. A reset would be triggered, making their life repeat again and again until they reached a happy ending.

You were _fine._

You sped on, tears making your vision distorted as the street lights blurred past. You swerved past several cars, even bumping into one at some point. You saw your house in the distance. Well, hence on the word saw.

You expected to get scratches on your car, hell maybe even a speeding ticket because you were going 15 over.

What you didn't expect, however, was the car pulling out in front of you.

*****************

**_Sans heard the familiar hum of the multiverse around him, a spectrum of colors flashing in his eyes. He was falling, yet at the same time stationary. He was surrounded_ ** _**by** _ **_many of himself, as usual. He always had these dreams, he knew they weren't real. There was only one version of him, so what if they looked alike?_ **

**_They began to part, the one you had named Ink and Dream standing in front of you. When the crowd was finished, they stepped aside, revealing Papyrus._ **

**_Nothing mattered anymore. He had Papyrus! The crowd vanished before him as he raced forward, making a beeline. Papyrus was holding his arms outwards, a warm smile on his face._ **

**_"p-papyrus!" Sans yelled in joy, leaping into the embraced._ **

**_The world flashed before him, darkness cradling him instead. He was wrapping his arms around something, but not Papyrus. He backed up,_** _ **confused**_ **_before dread and fear sparked in him._**

**_"gaster?"_ **

**_"Ẁ͠ak͘͘e͢ ̛́up̷͠,̵͟͡ ͏Şa͢n̷s̢!̛͞"_ **

**_"w-what?"_ **

**_"Ǵeţ ̛u͟p! Ḩur̴ry̕! We ̡do ͡ņo̶t ͡h҉ave̷ m͢uc҉h ̧tim͝e to sav̛e ͞h͜er!҉" The voice was scratchy, infused with static, and hurt his.. ears?_ **

* * *

 

Sans jolted awake, breath coming in ragged pouts. He rubbings his eye sockets before taking a glance around.

..he was in your house.

He felt your SOUL's feelings. Devastation. Sorrow. Grief. Confusion. Determination.

...love.

He stood up, feeling marrow rush to his head. He toppled over, gasping as a jolt of pain shot through his arm. It was wrenched out of place, aching in agony. He moved it, gasping in hurt again as it twinged in discomfort. With a jerk, it snapped back into place, a 'pop' crackling in the air. He cried out as the pain faded away and was replaced by his deep regret and sorrow. He'd always reproach himself for.. 

God, how much LV did he have now? 

He had killed that one guy in the white truck, he'd murdered his brother, and soon enough, himself as well.  _heh.._

He shouldn't have let hope build in on him. He was  _soft_ again.

He bolted out of the house, headlights flashing as you neighbor turned to pull out of his driveway. He felt your SOUL closing the distance between him and you quickly. Too quickly.

The car, a blue Toyota, flickered its blinkers on and pulled out. Well.. Would have pulled out, if it weren't for a car ramming into the side.

It all happened so fast.

He felt your SOUL pulse once, then still as an earsplitting screech rang out- metal against metal. Glass exploded, crackling on the ground and bouncing before laying still. A silver ford doubled over itself, crashing on top of the Toyota before rolling upside down Toyota flipped over, landing on its side as sparks flew wildly, followed by a cut-off scream and a blaring horn.

Blood splattered on the ground, street light illuminating the scene. Sans was frozen. The silver ford.

It was your car.

He felt for your SOUL again, but.. he felt nothing.

Then, it dawned on him.

You were dead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayy  
> im evil.
> 
>  
> 
> more chapters to come~! <3


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi  
> sorry for short chapt  
> i have tests at school and lack of sleep makes my mind fuzzy  
> whoops  
> anyways bye

Darkness.

Darkness was all you could feel.

Darkness was all you could see.

Darkness was all you could hear.

Darkness, suffocating you from every corner of your entity.

Just black. Dark. Nothing.

There was nothing.

No pain, no feeling, no sound, yet there was.

The pain of loss, feeling of dread, the sound of a thick yet subtle wind whooshing by.

You were falling in every direction subsequently at the same time, yet pulled in place by an invisible source of being.

It was just...

Dark.

Darkness, all around you, encasing your very core to a point of panic.

Darkness.

Dark.

Black

D a r k n e s s .

I t w a s j u s t . . .

D A R K.

You swiveled your head left and right, looking down to reveal yourself. You were illuminated by an unknown source of light. When you looked up again, an all too familiar figure stood before you.

"Papyrus.." You whispered. He smiled, running and embracing you. Tears fell, heavens know to where, as the glided below your feet and down, down, down into the neverending void.. dark...

"Nora... I.. Are You.." Papyrus whispered. You could feel your neck becoming wet by tangerine tears.

"I.. I don't know if I'm alive... I just.." You pulled him impossibly closer, as if when you blinked he'd be gone. "Papyrus.. if you're dead.. then I.. I.." You couldn't bring yourself to say it, squeezing him as a fresh wave of tears rolled on.

"Interesting." A voice said. You yanked away from Papyrus in dear, gaze darting around to...

Well, darkness.

"It Is Okay, Human. It Is Just My Father. He Came Back! Can You Believe It..?" Papyrus sniffled. "I.. Never Remembered Him, But.."

"Nora. I have something important to show you." You turned around, revealing none other than Gaster himself. Sure, you'd seen him in the Undertale game files and in your dreams, but...

God, he looked so strange.

You stared at him for a moment, wondering how you understood the language without him signing. "Come," He said, turning around. He didn't look behind, only hoping you'd follow. Reluctantly, you and Papyrus walked forward as he seemed to disappear behind an invisible wall.

When you kept walking, you face planted into... well, an invisible wall. "Ah!" You yelped, backing up. You heard Gaster chuckle before you felt around the barrier.

When you turned into the room, you stopped.

Reels upon reels of tapes played, all at once or just stopped. Some of them were focused on Sans in present time, some of random strangers, some simply memories. With a quick swipe of his hand, Gaster froze them all and pushed them back into a neat stack. He pulled forward one.

Oh.. god...

You took a step back, not wanting to witness it, before Gaster grabbed your hand gently, yet firm. "You must come.." He said calmly. You looked at him in confusion before he dragged you forward and _through_ the clip. Papyrus stayed behind.

You didn't want to be here. You had nightmares of this enough, didn't you?

No, but there you were. Sitting in the alley where your family was killed and you...

Oh, god. You could still feel where he'd choked you.

The you in the dream skirted down the street, Rosa in her arms. Kade was ahead of you, Noah lacking behind a bit. You were racing home.

The sound of a distant meow stopped you. Was that a.. cat? Oh, god, you had to help it! You told Kade and he agreed, Rosa just happy to see a cat.

You turned down an alleyway and looked around, coming over to a dumpster. You looked under it, but to no avail. Kade checked in a smaller trash can, no luck, and Noah looked under another dumpster.

"Hey, guys, I think I found it!" He squeaked, clearly excited for having helped. The sound of glass shattering yanked you away from trying to grab the cat.

In fear, you pointed to a side alley as two figures emerged from the main street. "Noah, go that way, take Rosa." You whispered. He nodded and grabbed Rosa, pulling her down quickly before Kade intervened.

"Guys, stop!" His voice was laden with panic, sweating nervously. "They're that way, too!" They seemed to back off, but...

Your thoughts were interrupted as two figures grabbed Kade, smashing a bottle over his head before stabbing where his lungs would be. They pulled him back, behind the end dumpster, as Rosa Screamed.

"KADE! N-NO!" You were about to run back there before Rosa screamed louder. You turned back, to the scene.

Noah was shaking, though not as much as Rosa. He was standing in front of her, trying to hide her as three men approached him- dressed in black cloaks, of course. He tried to be brave, oh god he always tried, but his voice gave way. "S-stop! Don't hurt her!" He took a step back as the advanced. One of the men chortled, pulling a handgun out before shooting him right in the head.

Noah dropped to his knees, collapsing forward as a red liquid spurted out of his head and onto the ground. Rosa _screeched_. They kicked his limp form as, what seemed the leader, grabbed Rosa, holding her. You, unaware, felt two burly hands latch onto your neck and squeeze. You choked and sputtered in agony as it felt like you were being thrown underwater, lungs ripped apart.

Your vision faded to black at the edges as sirens sounded, announcing the arrival of police. "Nora! Help me!" Rosa squeaked, sobbing and screaming rashly.

You felt your legs give way the moment before the man let go, hearing the sirens. "Fuck! Fall back, fall back!" He yelled, turning down the alley with the other.. ten..? men. You stumbled forward as Rosa's calls faded, the repentance of the car's wailing becoming louder.

You crawled towards the limp form that was Noah, silent tears falling down your cheeks. You trembled, not just from the cold either. His eyes rolled back as you cradled his body, feeling the warmth drain away from his skin.

No pulse.

Blood leaked down his head, trickling onto the concrete and running down a drain as more footsteps broke the sirens' screams. You flinched, seeing a shadow as you looked up.

"Mom.." You whispered, yet you couldn't even hear it over her cries.

"Noah! Why!?" She kneeled down, brushing the- now blood-laden- hair from his face. She shuddered, a fresh wave of tears streaming down her cheeks. You, the real you, walked over and phased your hand through your mother, a single tear trailing to the.. floor. You watched as the clip played on.

Your mother pointed accusingly towards you, pushing you from Noah's body. "You! You did this! You could have saved them!" She suddenly stood up, backing away. You could see her fingers turning purple from the cold, snowflakes fluttering past. 

"It's all your fault, Nora!" She raced back, out of the alley, leaving you behind. You felt a boney hand grip your shoulder lightly, pulling you backward before the clip paused.

"Why did you.." you stopped. "Why did you make me watch that again..?" You whispered.

He stopped, frowning in thought before his poker face returned. "I wanted to show you the difference between then and now."

You paused as well. "Now? What do you mean now? Aren't we like, in between times or something?" You had an edge to your voice, but W. D. paid no mind. Papyrus was standing back, waiting patiently for a chance to speak as he watched a certain clip.

"Yes, now. While you are not wrong in the sense there is no time, I was talking about the clip." 

"Um.. the clip.. happened 8 years ago." Gaster chuckled briefly.

"Yours did. This just happened. As you watched, it happened, actually." At your confusion, he continued. "Have you ever heard of the multiverse theory?" He asked. You shook your head even though you knew. You'd get more information this way. "The multiverse theory is the thought or predicament that everything you do is altered somewhere else. In another universe, actually. If you decide to go work at a coffee shop, like you have done, maybe you in another universe chose to work at a grocery store. There's always the main timeline, which is the one you are in, but smaller ones branch out. There can be multiple large timelines, yet none overpower the main. Let me use an analogy.

"Imagine a tunnel. That's the main timeline. On sides of the tunnel at certain points in time, it branches out to smaller tunnels, allowing more possibilities. These smaller tunnels are the other options you took- or smaller timelines. This is a single timeline." He gestures with his hands a bit, Papyrus now watching in interest. "Elsewhere, there could be another tunnel, slightly smaller than the main one. This too has smaller possibilities. In the main timeline here, though, there's something big different. For example, maybe you're goth or believe in another religion. Those are alternate universes." He gestured to a clip, bringing it forward. It showed you pushing a kid down in a hall, swearing at him as you went about your business. You looked.. really mean.

He pushed it back in, fading away as he stood back a bit. "Sorry that was.. confusing. Any more questions?"

You pondered this. "Yeah, actually. Can I see what's happening in my timeline? Since we don't have time and all, nothing's really progressed? I think?" You watched as, in one quick motion, Gaster brought a reel forth. You and Papyrus sat down, watching.

****************

Sans had moved the cars apart, dismantling your own wildly. God, no, he... He's such an idiot.. fuck! Of course.. you weren't Chara. What was he thinking? Just because of a game... no, other people had to have played it, right? They must have done the genocide.. so why wasn't anyone else freaking out that game character came to life? Or.. w

He felt tears running down his face, dripping onto the blood-soaked concrete. A car came by, screeching before he lifted it into the air. He placed it on the other side of the wreckage carefully as the owner gawked, racing back along the road in confusion.

He pulled your door off, flinging it beside the road in the ditch as he reached your body. Oh.. oh god...

His face distorted and he turned left, magic blobs spewing from his mouth. It was similar to puke. He turned to your body again and looked at the details.

You were hanging limply from the ceiling, as the car was flipped, with blood all over. Oh, god it was everywhere. You face was leaking the substance, body caked in red. Just.. _red._ It was too much...

He trailed his eyes up, looking among you more. Your arm was bent backward, elbow bone poking out slightly. Your knees were scratched up, probably really bad too. Another car raced by, in which he transferred it past the commotion as well.

Okay. Now.. to look at your SOUL. He drew it out with slight difficulty, bobbing in front of him dully. He wasn't surprised it wasn't cracked, any regular SOUL wouldn't crack when death occurred unless their body was gone completely. It did have a crack, though that was because of your.. ahem, twisted joints.

It was a bright dark blue. Integrity. He was a trail of light blue magic twined around it, guarding it. That was his magic, he noted. What he was surprised about was the black aura it was encased in. It was just like Papyrus' SOUL before he died, as well as Sans'. He wondered what it was before pushing your SOUL back in, sighing heavily.

God, why was everything so complicated?

He pushed all of the rubble to the side of the road, clearing it entirely. Blood still littered the asfault, though he didn't care. He brought both of the bodies out from the cars and placed them down, covering them in a sheet from your house.

Then, he dialed 911.

Oh, it was gonna be a long night, that was for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh sans wyd  
> y u do dis  
> anyways there's gonna be two more chapters before im done with this crap  
> maybe three, atleast two tho.  
> i could fit it all in these notes if i wanted but nahh  
> anyways go read my other book if ye want  
> also comment <3


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i should be asleep but  
> here  
> also i think "an emblem of seredipity" is totally going to get more hits than this book anyone else wanna call it w/ me?

Papyrus had long left to "rest," although you know he didn't want to watch. You respected that.

Gaster paused the clip as Sans threw his phone on the ground, shattering it in deep remorse and self-empathy. You turned to him questioningly, tears pricking at your eyes.

"Nora, I.. You do realize we can bring Papyrus to the mortal realm, correct?" He said it quietly.

You didn't face him. "You're lying."

He paused, heaving a sigh. "We always have time. Since a human SOUL does not break (with the exception of mages, like Frisk), we could take a shard from yours and drain the trait. By taking a proportion of the shatter from Papyrus' broken SOUL, we can inflict his personality and trace it onto your SOUL piece. Of course, this would require it to grow, but here in the void, it will happen instantaneously. It is always your choice, and there are only a few drawbacks."

You slowly swiveled your head towards him, curiosity and a hint of fear laced into your voice. "..what are they..?"

Gaster paused once more, eyes darkening (somehow). "Papyrus.. Will share some of your memories and forget what is happening. He won't remember being in the void, and, the event of Sans killing him will only damage his HoPe permanently. And you... Nora, nobody will remember you- not even Sans will." He was talking so low you strained to hear.

You thought about your options, weighing them. Nobody'll remember you? That's fantastic. No pain for anyone. It's just like when you were in college, the thought of suicide plaguing your mind.

Well, Papyrus can live with some setbacks, right? 

It's not like they ever liked you, anyway. Toriel, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore, Frisk, Papyrus,  _Sans..._ They never.. 

You can't bring yourself to say it.

"What about Sans SOUL? He lost his soulmate, so... What will," you gulp, "what will come of him?"

"He will ache without reason for two and a half years." 

Papyrus walked in, stretching. You looked up at him, a single tear trailing down your face. "Let's do it. Let's bring Papyrus back."

****************

Sans slammed his phone down, shattering it on the sidewalk. He screamed in frustration, sobbing hysterically as his SOUL cracked. Losing a soulmate... God, what was he gonna do?

He didn't understand. He felt so small, so secluded. He'd expanded his world, he'd let light flow into his life and he  _shut it out._ It was all his fault.

 _It's all your fault, Sans!_ He could hear Undyne roar in his head.

 _Please leave me be, I do not wish to reside with a **traitor**_ , He heard Toriel's sickly sweet voice sneer.

 _No, Sans! You should have h-helped her!_ He felt the hate pulse from Alphys SOUL.

 _We cannot trust you, Sans. I'm sorry,_ He could hear the malice rolling off of Asgore as he locked Sans behind bars.

 _At least your brother has purpose, but then again.. ugh! Leave me alone!_ Mettaton's robotic voice scoffed in his mind.

 _Sans.. Why Did You Kill Me..?_ He could hear the heart-wrenching sounds of Papyrus' voice.

 _Please don't hurt_ me... _just.. Just go, Sans. I don't want to see you again. Please don't come back..._ He heard your calm, betrayed voice whisper in his skull.

He screamed louder, tears pooling as he scraped his cranium. Marrow leaked from his fingertips, pain coursing through him as he cried out. Someone was shouting, shaking him violently. 

People were trying to stop him. Furry paws grabbed him. He was going to be locked away, underground again. "n-no, please, frisk.. frisk, reset, please!" He cried out, not caring who heard as he scrambled away from the grasp.

He took off down the street blindly before tripping and-

...

Silence.

Numbness.

Nausea.

* * *

"no, undyne, i didn't steal your fucking sword!" Sans shouted, feeling a sense of Deja Vu roll over him. This seemed familiar...

"Then where the fuck is it?" She summoned a spear, throwing it at him. He dodged eyes still devoid of light. He summoned a bone attack, aiming it at her.

"how fucking dare you attack me in my own house!" He suddenly felt his gut twist, as if something horrid was to happen. He ignored it, charging an attack.

"Sans, STOP!" Alphys shouted as he sent one towards Undyne. It hit her SOUL, shaking her as she rapidly lost health. 

"W-what the fuck? What kind of attack do you have?" Undyne summoned a shower of arrows, striking them down. One of them hit Sans, depleting his health by 0.2.

Sans looked at the marrow dripping on his hand for a second, then looked up at her as his eye flared to life. She looked shocked. 

"Y o u ' r e   g o n n a   h a v e   a   b a d   t i m e . " He could hear someone yelling, distinctly familiar, in his head, but.. who was it? What were they saying? They sounded like a female, sounded.. nice. His SOUL pulsed weakly, sharp pain coursing through him that urged him on. He pulled Orion out of the void, one of his many Gaster Blasters, and shot.

It all happened so fast, but for Sans? It felt like he was watching his life revise.

Sans clenched his hand quickly, Orion snapping to attention. It separated its maws horizontally, a bright beam gathering in its mandible. Undyne flinched as she heard the noise. Sans propelled his hand outwards, eye flickering a teal and yellow color.

Papyrus sprang into the way, in front of the beam, before Sans shot. He canceled the blast out quickly, but by the time he did that, it was too late.

Papyrus' limp body collapsed onto the floor, quivering in agony. He was facing towards Sans, an apologetic smile on his face. Sans could see orange tears gathering in his eye sockets before his SOUL arose from his body, glowing white then a beautiful tangerine color. It shook before a buzzing noise sounded, a bright blue flash as something  _snapped._

As he blinked the flash away, running to Papyrus with tears in his eyes, a shard gathered in his SOUL. Papyrus' SOUL flashed blue again, weakly, before the damage was taken.

20/680

Sans felt apprehension wash over him before the voice in his head settled down.

He couldn't help but feel...

Was he missing something?

..or, someone?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahah screw u guys feels train is about to crash overR  
> approximately 1 chapter left.
> 
> :>


	18. small update, plot relevant. please read all of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay this chapter is extremely short sorry about that but  
> i forgot to explain this earlier  
> also screw grammar

okay guys

i forgot to explain something important that is very relevant to the plot and so here is the explanation.

so sans gets all scared of nora right? this is why. i scraped the surface on the topic maybe 2 chapters ago when he was talking about chara and all.

so..

sans gets scared of nora because he infers that since the game can reset, then the routes are controlled by her. he thinks that she chooses genocide, pacifist and neutral by her  _own will_ so he thinks, ok so she is chara.

he's just really scared.

thats all.

this isn't a real chapter and wow im gonna work on the other one later today, lemme tell you dis:

it's gonna go from 1 to 100 _real_ quick


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> screw you guys this entire book is a LIE

You blinked open your weary eyes feeling the chill of Halloween wash over you. Ugh, did you fall asleep again?

You shivered, glancing around to find your mother who had poked you awake. "mmM?" You groaned.

"Noah and Rosa are worried about you, they wanted to share their candy but you didn't come over to my house." She sounded tired.

"Oh, sorry mom." You stretched, feeling blood rush to your limbs and warming you up. You looked at the remaining rice Krispies in the baker pan before grabbing it and shoving it in your mouth. "Mmm. Can you take me there?" You said with your mouth full. Your mom sighed, smiling at your antics, before nodding. You told her you'd be right back.

You grabbed the pan for the rice Krispies and the bowl while your mother took the container for the hot chocolate. You trudged back home, suddenly wishing you had worn warmer clothes. How would Sans even deal with this?

Oh, yeah. He's a skeleton! 

You giggled briefly, earning a confused look from your mom, before you set down the containers. You pulled your keys from your pocket and shoved them in your doorknob before twisting with a 'click.'

As you picked up the containers and walked back inside, you went over what your dream was about. Oh, man, that was probably the best one yet! You'd say you wished it actually happened, but there was a lot of trauma in the end. Eh.

It just felt so real, though you knew it wasn't. You wondered how many times you cried on that stand, feeling your cheeks.

Once you were done placing all of the stuff away and having your mom drive you to her home, you plopped down onto the spare bed despite it being 5 in the morning. 

You wish you could have that dream again.

* * *

You rolled over, shielding the light from your eyes as something jumped on you. "Hhhh.." You groan as you hear a bark from Sparky, Kade's dog.

"Ughh what do you want?" You blink your eyes open, clearing away the remnants of your sleep. You didn't dream, that much was worthy, but you still remembered every detail from the dream you had. Sparky barked again before high-tailing it out of there with you in, albeit slow, pursuit. Once you have your coffee and tell your mom that no, it's not cold enough to get hypothermia and no, you don't  _have_ hypothermia, you drive home with some cinnamon toast in your Tupperware container.

You plop down on your desktop before opening Archive of Our Own, going to your profile. You read your inbox, replying honestly to the comments and snickering at a few, before clicking the "Post New" button.

Your hands were a flurry, typing quickly and fast as you describe your day before the dream and after..

Because  _damn,_ that was a _good dream_.

 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for sticking with me until the end.  
> tell me your opinions down below.  
> :)


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